The Journey
by xQueenGeek
Summary: Adam is transgender and thinks no one understands him. He has everything that people ask for - brains, compassion, and determination but his insecurities and cynical personality doesn't allow him to get close to anyone. Can this year at Degrassi change that?
1. Red Hands

**Author's Note: Before you read this story, let me give you a few warnings.**

**This story is AU, with new characters, and some of the regular characters being OOC. This is just my idea of what could have happened if Adam tried to completely hide under the radar and passed. Also, in this fiction everyone is in the grade that was presented in Degrassi, this past season. So Adam and Clare are juniors, Eli is a senior, Fiona is a senior, Campbell is a sophomore (yes, he's alive!), etc. **

**With that being said, I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, or any Degrassi characters referenced or used.**

* * *

_**"I can't see that I got red hands, I'm colorblind singing **_  
_**Don't put the blame on me, child, the damn thing gone wild **_  
_**Never wanted to be fooling you, can't believe I was ruining you **_  
_**(Is that what you really want?)"**_

Adam was by his locker, like usual. He always waited for the students to leave before getting his stuff together. He felt more comfortable that way.

Plus, he was able to inspect himself in his small locker mirror without getting strange looks.

Being a stealth transgender guy was pretty hard. His morning and afternoon inspections had helped him pass better several times during his time at Degrassi though.

Thankfully the uniforms had been discarded so he was allowed to wear his baggy clothes again. It also made it easier to purposely go under the radar.

Suddenly he heard a yell echo through the hall, ripping him away from his musings.

"Hey, nerd!"

Adam looked to where the voice was coming from and sighed. It was Fitz again, chasing down some random kid that unfortunately crossed paths with the bully.

"What, you're not gonna talk? That's not nice. " Fitz taunted as the small looking freshman walked faster, seemingly trying to get away from the unavoidable.

Fitz quickly sped up and wrapped his arm around the freshman, immediately bringing him into a headlock. A strangled yelp came out of the freshman as he tried to push Fitz away to no avail.

Adam wished he could tell the kid to let it happen, that the more you fight the worse it would be. But he couldn't. He had put too much effort into being invisible to let Fitz and this new guy get in the way. So he kept his mouth shut and watched.

For a moment the freshman actually got out of the headlock by stomping on Fitz's foot but as quickly as he got out, he was brought back in.

"Is that all you got, retard?" Fitz laughed out.

Adam closed his eyes. He could never bring himself to watch this part. It was already hard enough to sit still.

He heard a gasp of pain and a crash against the lockers. It was only the beginning though. For the next few minutes Adam heard crash after crash as Fitz shoved the freshman onto the lockers. He knew it was about done when the crashing stopped and the whimpers started getting more frequent. Fitz always finished it by leaving his chosen victim on the ground after a generous kick in the sides or punch in the face.

When he heard footsteps and the sound of a door being opened and closed, Adam opened his eyes and got up.

Adam walked over to the freshman, who was cornered into the wall, clutching his stomach.

Because he didn't want to waste time, Adam immediately asked, "Hey, what's your name?"

Surprised at Adam's sudden appearance, the boy flinched and didn't meet his eyes.

Adam sighed. How much time was this going to take?

Patiently he kneeled down and repeated, "What's your name?"

"E-evan Richards."

It took a few moments before the boy looked up but when he finally did, Adam was shocked. The kid's dirty blonde hair hid most of the developing bruises on the side of his face, but they were still very noticeable on his pale skin. Luckily Adam had a nice poker face, which he instantly put up to not frighten the kid even further. He probably would need to treat him like a scared animal; he was acting exactly like one.

After clearing his throat Adam said in soft voice, "It's okay, Evan. I know it hurts right now, but you're going to be fine. Let's go take you to the nurse, alright?"

Evan nodded hesitantly and Adam helped him up slowly. He let Evan lean on him for support, although it was tough to hold the extra weight. It was times like this that made him hate his biologically female body even more than usual. He was so _weak_.

As they continued to walk down the hall, Adam recalled the times he spent at his cousin's ranch. He learned a lot about dealing with animals there. One of the main things was when an animal was hurt, it comforted them to be talked to soothingly. That's how Adam knew it would help the most if he tried to talk to Evan about light, unimportant things so he wouldn't focus on the pain and gloominess of the situation at hand.

"So, my name is Adam. " He said, introducing himself, "I'm a junior here. You're a freshman, right?"

Evan nodded, but otherwise didn't interact.

"I figured since I hadn't seen you around." Adam said, continuing the mainly one sided conversation.

Only a grunt for a response.

"Don't worry, man. It'll get better. It's only the beginning of the year."

As soon as he said it, he realized his mistake. First, he bullshitted about it getting better and even worse, acknowledged what just happened.

_Great_, Adam thought to himself, mentally wincing. Rule number one was always keep the mood light and he single-handedly screwed that up badly.

Adam knew he wasn't just overreacting either because almost as soon as he started talking, Evan clenched his eyes shut and tensed up even more.

Adam stopped talking after that, afraid to put his foot in his mouth again while also getting frustrated about how he cared about Evan's reaction and how he was feeling. Frankly Adam could have just left him there to get up by himself so he was doing a lot more than necessary.

Soon they reached the clinic and thankfully a nurse was still there, although it looked like she was about to leave.

Instead of knocking on the door, Adam just barged in with Evan alongside him which immediately caught the nurse's attention.

"He needs some help, ma'am." Adam stated curtly.

Before she had the chance to ask him what happened, he quickly walked out through the door but not before hearing Evan mutter, "Thanks."

This time Adam was the one who didn't verbally answer and instead nodded, not breaking his stride.

The moment he left he started chastising himself for butting in. Evan would've eventually got help, with or without him. Why did he have to step in? Now the nurse might say something and he could possibly be watched over more, which is exactly the opposite of what he wanted.

He could NOT gather attention. It would ruin all his plans.

As he continued to mentally beat himself up while walking down the hallway to his locker, something or more like some_one_, shoved his shoulders out of the blue.

"What the fuck?" Adam immediately asked. He looked to the person with the offending hands and realized they belonged to a girl, right around his height, with brown curly hair and blazing blue eyes.

She was obviously pissed off. He had no idea what triggered it though. He didn't even know her.

"What's wrong with you!" She screamed at him. For some reason, that made him furious.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong you! I'm not the one who randomly shoves guys in the hallway." Although his word automatically made her turn pink, she still looked super angry and had no qualms about speaking her mind.

"I saw you! All you did was watch! You just let that poor guy get beat up. You're sick!"

Before continuing, Adam looked around to make sure no one was near them. "I'm sick? If you know I didn't do anything, that means you didn't do anything either! What does that make you?"

That made her suddenly shut up but he was so riled up, he continued.  
"And I'll have you know, I took him to the clinic and helped him out, unlike you. Now leave me the hell alone."

With that being said, he rushed out in the direction of the football field, knowing his brother's practice was about to end soon.

As he walked out, he could still feel the angry glares aimed at the back of his head.

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_** Can you guess who the person angry at Adam was? What do you think will happen next? Leave your thoughts and opinions in a review!**_

_**- S.**_


	2. Sympathy

_Author's Notes: I can't believe Adam's gone. It doesn't feel real yet. I understand the message the episode was supposed to bring about texting and driving, but why Adam? He was the only reason I watched the show anymore. Especially right after Campbell died. And he had SO much more to give to Degrassi. _

_This is why I believe in fanfiction. Even though the character may have died, his essence will be stored to create even more stories, and carry out even more messages than what the TV show could do. Adam will continue on._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any Degrassi characters used or referenced in this story.**

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**_"Stranger than your sympathy_**  
**_I take these things so I don't feel_**  
**_And all these thoughts from the inside out_**  
**_Now my head's been filled with doubt_**

**_It's hard to lead the life you choose_**  
**_All I wanted_**  
**_When all your luck's run out on you_**  
**_All I wanted_**  
**_And you can't see when all your dreams are coming true"_**

It had been 2 weeks since "The Incident", as Adam liked to refer to it. He hadn't seen the mysterious girl anywhere since and frankly, it was putting him on edge. He had so many questions like why she was even there after school was dismissed, why she confronted Adam the way she did, and most of all what was her name. He didn't like not having a name to put to a face.

If he was being honest, it aggravated him that he couldn't look her up or investigate her background story without having her name. He always searched everyone he met up, just so he knew what they were like and were about. Some would say he was control freak, but he just called it being cautious. After all the shit he had been through, the most important thing to him was knowing things, and not being in the dark. As they say, knowledge is power and he was not going to allow himself to be weak.

God. This had to be the worst. The best part about being a shadow was that he could find out people's weaknesses and habits by causally observing them. Being on the opposite side of that observation was killing him and he was barely resisting the urge to pace. Rule number 37 in life: always wear a poker face. It gives you the leverage in any situation. Only thing was, every second that passed made it harder to keep his cold front up and his anxiety at bay.

That's also why he hated waiting for his brother to get out from practice. He was left just standing there, where anyone could jump or harass him, or even worse: plan to be doing those things. He hated suspense. Where the hell was Drew? Nothing was worse than being so plainly visible.

_Speak of the devil_, he thought as he finally spotted Drew's red alarm, attention seeking jacket.

"Hey, bro." Drew said easily as he walked out of the locker room.

"Don't 'bro' me. You said practice would get out early today, yet you guys were ten minutes over! Care to freakin' explain?" Adam said snarkily.

Drew just rolled his eyes as if this was a daily occurrence. "What's got your undies in a twist?"

Ignoring the jab, Adam looked around for his mom's car but even she was late.

"If I would have known this was going to happen, I would've just brought my skateboard." Adam muttered. "Should've known not to take your word."

Suddenly Drew tensed up and barked out, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that some people actually like to have alone time." Adam snapped.

Drew snorted. "What exactly would you have done with your 'alone' time? Play more video games? You already do enough of that for 3 real guys."

That made Adam clench his jaw and try to count to ten. It was taking all he had not to punch his brother right in the stomach.

"I am a real guy. And for that matter, at least I have the time to play video games. You're rarely not with some skank, wasting your time. And when mom forces you to do homework, it takes the entire night! You know Drew, you can't live off your half assed jock lifestyle forever." Adam sneered.

Apparently, that had hit home with Drew because he noticeably got angrier and turned red. However right as he was about to reply, their mom drove up to the curb where they were standing.

They didn't move until she honked. When their staring contest was interrupted, they silently got into the car and the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"So how were your days?" Audra Torres asked as she drove off to the direction of their home.

_Awful_, Adam thought. _Absolutely awful._

In reality he said, "Fine, how about yours?" to get her off his back. While she droned about her day, he started to dwell on the look in her eyes as she asked how the day went. She was still so over protective of him. He just wished she would treat him like she treats Drew. He was definitely more mature and competent than him.

Speaking of Drew, apparently it was his turn to talk about his day. He soaked up the attention like a sponge as he recounted his entire day, exaggerating certain parts to get reactions out of their mother.

Just as Adam was about to suggest putting pencils through his eye would be more enjoyable than listening to Drew's drivel, he realized they were on their street.

"Then Stanley actually said - "

"Hey, we're here!" Adam interrupted with an eager tone. Drew sent him the evil eye, but Adam couldn't care less. He bolted out of the car and opened the house door to race to his bedroom.

_Finally_, Adam mentally sighed.

_~The Journey~__~The Journey~~_

It felt like 5 minutes before he was called down for dinner but in reality he was upstairs, staring at his wall for over an hour.

He wondered how tonight's dinner was going to go. Was it going to be a fiery glare competition or the normal, ice cold meal while they shuffled their food around their plates until enough time had passed to be excused?

Tough choice.

By the time he got down, everyone was at the table and ready to eat. As soon as Adam joined them, Drew started scarfing down all his food. Even better, he was chewing with his mouth open tonight just to bug Adam. However, he wasn't going to take the bait.

Instead he let his mother do it.

"Drew, stop chewing like an animal and close your mouth! We have taught you better manners than that!" Audra sternly said.

Adam smirked internally but let nothing show as he neatly cut his chicken and slowly placed it into his mouth.

The one thing he was better at than Drew.

That satisfaction didn't last long though.

"Yeah, Drew. If you want to impress those college recruiters, you need to make the perfect impression. Can't have the only Torres man of this generation end up being a sucker." Omar commented as he turned the page of the news article he was reading.

Suddenly Adam lost his appetite.

As soon as he knew he wasn't going to regurgitate the food in his stomach, Adam stood up.

"You're confusing him with me. Maybe it's because you have your face shoved so far up your ass." He said calmly before bringing his dish to the kitchen sink and letting it go with a loud clank.

The sound seemed to unfreeze his father and he yelled out, "Excuse me? Who do you think you're talking to?"

Adam didn't answer. He was already half way up the stairs. When he made it to his room, he locked the door and slid down to the floor.

He was shaking. Badly. He needed to calm down. He tried taking deep breaths but it didn't help.

Soon he started crying, which he hated. He couldn't stop it though. It was like everything was climbing on top of his already crowded plate lately and he was completely overwhelmed.

When he finally stopped crying, he stared at his wall. It was white, covered with posters of bands he liked and a few pictures of him and his friends years ago.

He got up and walked to them, examining each photo. One picture in particular caught his eye. It was the one when he was with Jasmine and Martin, taken right after they came home from the last day of middle school.

That was the year he started transitioning. It was really hard, and he got bullied a lot, but he always had his 3 friends Jake, Martin, and Jasmine by his side to make things better. Jasmine especially.

She was prettiest girl at their school, with curly black hair and a milk chocolate complexion. She was his first crush, and first kiss.

Adam shook himself out of it. Martin and Jasmine had hooked up while she and Adam were in their second week of dating. After confronting them days later, he never talked to them again.

He always wondered if it happened because Martin had more muscles, or because his voice was getting deeper and he was getting taller.

He wondered if Jasmine ever liked him, or she just pitied him. Either way, he wasn't good enough. He never was.

Suddenly his bandages felt tighter, and he felt weak and disgusting. The urge to find his old clip and lighter came forcefully, but he pushed it away just as violently. He was not a coward. He would not cave in.

Adam walked next to his bed, where he put his backpack. He blindly picked a paper out of the clutter in his bag. It was an assignment for English that was due tomorrow. If he was going to distract himself, he might as well do something productive he thought to himself.

He went over to his barely used desk, and sat down. He never did homework. The only reason he passed with Cs was because of his perfect test taking abilities. He wasn't stupid, he just didn't like to put effort into something he found pointless.

However, it did provide a great distraction as it was supposed to be 5 pages long on the subject of "Hope". The one thing he didn't have at the moment.

3 hours later, it was 11 p.m. and he was finally done. _Not too shabby_, he thought to himself.

It was good to know he was at least good at a few things.

**_~The Journey~__~The Journey~~_**

"Adam, get up! We needed to leave 5 minutes ago!" Someone yelled up to his room.

Adam immediately jolted up. He had fallen asleep on the desk and still had yesterday's clothes on. He wasn't in pain though and realized that he must have taken his bandages off when he was half asleep. _Thank goodness_, he thought. Having sore ribs would just add to the shittiness of school.

Relieved he yelled out, "Okay! One second."

He then sprinted to the bathroom after grabbing a black shirt and quickly brushed his teeth, washed his face, and put on deodorant. Next he hurriedly put his wraps on along with the undershirt and the shirt he brought into the bathroom.

He threw his dirty shirt from yesterday into the hamper in his bedroom, picked up his backpack, and ran to the car. They were about to leave without him.

"Finally! What were you doing?" Audra questioned him as she reversed out of the drive way.

Adam didn't answer and simply pulled his beanie down to cover his eyes as they rode off.

**~~The Journey~~The Journey~~**

_Man, this class is boring._ Adam thought as he tried to pay attention but failed miserably.

English was fun when he could just write, but when he had to listen on how to write, it was just as appealing as watching paint dry. Looking around the room, most of the class was having the same problem.

Adam groaned as he tried to move his stiff neck around. Falling asleep like that was horrible and he wasn't going to make the mistake of doing it again. A sharp pain went through his neck again as he tried to crack it.

Ouch.

Finally the bell rang and it was time to go to lunch.

"Mr. Torres, I need to see you for a moment. Please stay after class." Mr. Goldwin said as he just about to pass by him to get into the hall.

Immediately, he tensed up and felt nauseous. No one had ever asked him to stay behind before.

"Yes, sir." He muttered as he watched all the rest of the students leave the room.

When all the kids had got out, Mr. Goldwin closed the door and gestured for Adam to sit down.

_What have I done?_ Adam thought, panicking.

"Do you know why I asked you to stay behind today, Mr. Torres?" Mr. Goldwin asked, sitting on top of his desk.

Adam gulped. "No, sir. I have no idea."

"Then let me explain. I have been fascinatingly watching a particular student in my class for the last 2 months. Every day since school has started, he has been silent through all of my classes, hasn't turned in his homework, but manages to ace all my tests. Now at first, I thought he was cheating. To test this theory out, during a test day I asked my assistant to watch him from the back of the room as the test was being taken. He didn't look at his hands, legs, or any other student's paper but his own the entire time. I was thoroughly shocked. Do you have any idea who this student was?"

Adam didn't answer and sat completely still.

Mr. Goldwin laughed. "It was you, Mr. Torres. And the paper you turned in at the beginning of class finally conformed everything I was thinking. I believe you should be in 12th grade English, Mr. Torres. Not 11th."

Adam was at a loss of words.

"I know this may seem odd, but you need to be challenged. I have talked to the other teachers and the principal and they support the decision to test you into 12th grade English. However, I need a parent to sign this paper to agree to the testing. Bring this back tomorrow signed, or you will be docked an entire grade. See you tomorrow." Mr. Goldwin finished off with a smile and pointed to the paper on his desk.

Cautiously Adam picked it up and muttered, "Bye."

As soon as he was out of the room, Adam leaned on a wall.

_Too much attention. Shit._ Adam thought as his breaths became shallow.

What had he done?

* * *

_**What did you think? Tell me your thoughts and predictions in a review! Feedback always motivates me to update faster and help produce better quality chapters.**_

_**~S.**_


	3. Joyride

**Author's Note: This chapter was both equally difficult and fun to write. I have to say though, the reviews helped keep me motivated when I wrote and deserve recognition. **

**Degrassi misfit, bee14ish, and all other reviewers: thank you! You encourage me to keep posting.**

**By the way bee14ish: good eye.**

**Now onto the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any Degrassi characters used or referenced in this story.**

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_**"When your hopes and dreams**_  
_**Lose the will to go**_  
_**Joy ride**_  
_**Reaching for the light**_  
_**More than we can win**_  
_**And something in the distance **_  
_**A glorious existence**_  
_**A simple celebration**_  
_**A place you never went before**_  
_**(Why don't you kiss me **_  
_**And tell me that you want it?)**_  
_**Reaching for the light**_  
_**More than we can win**_  
_**When your chips are down**_  
_**(When your chips are down)**_  
_**When your highs are low**_  
_**Joy ride**_  
_**(Joy ride)**_  
_**All your hopes and dreams**_  
_**All you need to know**_  
_**Joy ride"**_

One thing Adam was sure of at the moment was the fact he was not going to stay around for the other half of the school day.

_Fuck my life_, Adam thought to himself.

Everything just kept adding up. He didn't really know what to do anymore. All his emotions were pent up inside him, and he didn't know how much longer it would take before he reached his breaking point.

He sighed and marched off to his locker to unload all of the unnecessary crap he was carrying around. Adam thought back to what the paper Mr. Goldwin had given him said.

"This student has shown remarkable candidacy – my ass. " He muttered as he threw random stuff into his locker from inside his backpack. He probably threw in homework assignments, but a homework assignment is what got him in this mess. He wasn't going to do anymore for a long time.

Thinking about the situation again just made him more mad.

It made him want to hit or kick something. Destroy anything.

Instead he settled for slamming his locker as roughly as he could without breaking it.

Now his mom was going to be watching him more than ever. This stupid paper is going to make her nag him about anything she can; friends, family, hobbies, and especially school. Without a doubt, she'll be on his ass for everything.

_Fuck the world._

Lost in his angry thoughts, Adam hit something hard.

Looking down, he realized it was actually someone. Specifically a guy who was curling into himself.

"Sorry, man." Adam apologized.

When Adam heard crying noises instead of a response, he let out an exasperated sigh.

God was fucking with him. That was obvious.

Especially right after the incident with Evan, who he still hadn't seen again luckily.

Despite everything in him saying that he needed to leave and that it wasn't wise to get involved, he kneeled down.

"Are you okay?" Adam asked, feeling a sense of déjà vu creep over him.

The guy looked up and at that moment Adam knew it wasn't because of him this guy was crying. Adam saw through his tears and locked eyes with him before he confirmed what he highly suspected; this guy was having an anxiety attack.

Knowing all too well about them, Adam immediately picked the kid up and began dragging him to the closest semi-private place: the men's bathroom.

Adam hated how uncertain and uncomfortable he felt about going in but continued on and tried to focus on the current situation. He needed to get the guy out of the hallway and fast.

He steered both of them through the door and into the handicap stall. Luckily there was a sink and when he saw it, Adam pushed the guy towards it and turned to water on. Picking up on what Adam wanted him to do, the guy splashed water in his face until he started to cool down.

When he was done, Adam handed him a few paper towels to dry off with. Fortunately, the guy looked calmer.

Adam rolled his eyes. If he had to refer to the kid next to him as "guy" any longer he was going to roll his eyes to the point that they got stuck in an odd direction.

"I'm Adam. What's your name?" He asked as the guy threw away the paper towels into the trash can.

"Campbell. Campbell Saunders." Campbell said nervously as he turned towards Adam.

Finally, there's a name!

"Well Campbell, I'm about to ditch. It looks like you might want to also. Wanna join?" Adam asked.

Campbell just stared at him for a few uncomfortable moments.

_What was I thinking?_ Adam thought as he mentally rolled his eyes.

Campbell was probably just stalling, and wasting Adam's time, because he didn't know how to say "no". Honestly, Adam didn't know what his thought process was when he asked. Well, that's a lie. Campbell seemed interesting and Adam was just really tired of feeling alone.

"Listen, no pressure. It's your choice whether you'll come or not. No one's forcing you. I'm going to go now." Adam said as he made his way out of the bathroom.

Campbell didn't follow him.

_Well, at least that answered that_, Adam thought as he walked towards the exit.

Suddenly he heard heavy footsteps coming fast behind him so he clenched his fists and walked faster, mentally preparing for a fight.

What he heard made him freeze.

"Hey, wait up!"

* * *

He learned a few things about Campbell as they walked together.

One, he was shy beyond belief. It was really hard to get him to talk, and when he did, it didn't last long.

Two, he was very soft-spoken.

And three, he was an outcast just like Adam, but in a strangely unique way.

From what he had gathered, Campbell had billet parents due to moving away from home because of a sport. However, they were away for the week, as they were going to a conference in the States.

He also apparently was the youngest player on the Ice Hounds, the hockey team that had taken over the school. If it wasn't for the 180 difference between him and his team, Adam probably would've ditched Campbell and planned to ignore him for the rest of his time at Degrassi, however long that might be.

As it was, they were almost to Campbell's place.

"So how is it like adjusting?" Adam asked while they were walking.

Campbell was silent like he had to think deeply about what to say before answering, "Hard."

Just by looking at Campbell, Adam knew this was a rough topic for him.

Naturally, Adam had to go deeper instead of picking a different subject to talk about.

"I kind of know what you're going through." He shares quietly.

Campbell gave him a questioning look that begged for an explanation, so he decided to continue. If he was in Campbell's shoes he probably would want to know he wasn't the only one who had experienced something like this.

"When I was around 4 and a half, turning 5, my mom and dad got a divorce. Looking back, it wasn't surprising at all. They had been fighting since I was born, and that year was the worst. They fights got nastier, they grew more distant. Basically, they were watching their marriage fall apart right in front of them. They didn't really try though, to be honest. The only reason they tried to make it work was because of me. By the time, I was getting ready to start school, they just decided they couldn't do it anymore. My dad ended up getting custody of me."

Adam looked to see if Campbell was still following, which he was, before starting again.

"So we ended up moving. I guess my dad thought the farther away his problems were, the less they would show up and bother him again. Since I didn't start school yet, it was a relatively good moving experience for not just him, but for me too. It was almost exciting because I was going to be able to explore a new area. Around 2 years later, my dad started dating a woman named Audra who he seemed to really like. After 6 months of dating they decided to test run living together before doing anything more permanent. That obviously resulted in another move. It wasn't horribly far away but it was definitely far enough to take me away from all my friends. It felt like my old world was falling apart and I was being dragged into a new one, you know?"

Campbell nodded in understanding.

"When I first met my step-brother Drew, I was jealous. Particularly because he only had to move an hour away from his friends and I had to move 5 hours from mine. My old friends stopped calling and I stopped calling them too. Eventually I was forced to make new ones, and that didn't go very well. It was all racking up against him. He could still see his friends, he was the popular kid, and he was way better than I was at sports. I literally wanted to punch him at every glance."

Now Campbell was staring intently at Adam, waiting for more.

"Later on, I got over it and we got closer. It still didn't feel right though. I was really homesick and angry. For a 7 year old, that move was a big deal. I know it isn't exactly the same as your situation, but I just wanted to show you that I can relate to a point."

By the time he was done, they were at Campbell's house. They walked in silently as Campbell opened the door and let them in. They both migrated to the couch and sat down to watch whatever mindless T.V. show was on.

After watching My Name Is Earl for 15 minutes, Campbell finally broke the silence by saying, "Thanks."

It was short and simple but it was packed with emotion that was overwhelming.

Adam didn't know what to say so he just nodded, switched off the T.V., then turned to Campbell.

"You said your billet parents won't be here for the entire week, right?" He asked with a grin.

**_~The Journey~~The Journey~~_**

"Woohoo!" Adam screamed as he speed down the deserted street.

Even Campbell was laughing and smiling.

After the extremely long task of convincing Campbell that taking his billet parent's car out wouldn't be the end of the world, they went to one of Adam's secret sports, which was a deserted haven that stretched out for miles and miles.

"Isn't this great?" Adam asked excitedly.

His body was pumping with adrenaline and every bad thing was no longer quite as bad.

He felt amazing and therefore everything around was now equally amazing.

Campbell seemingly felt the same way because he was just smiling and soaking everything in.

Adam turned on the radio and he almost yelled out when the perfect song came on.

"Campbell.." He started.

"Yes…?" Campbell asked warily.

"You better sing along."

And so he did.

By the time the song was almost done they were practically screaming the lyrics, with the windows down so the wind went through their hair.

"_We are young, we run free! Stay up late, we don't sleep! Got our friends, got the night, we'll be alright!"_

**___~~The Journey~__~The Journey~~_**

They went back to the house and returned the car around 3:30 p.m., which meant school had been out for a half hour.

Adam knew he had to get going because Drew's practice ended at 4 and if he didn't want a headache, he needed to be on time. For some reason though, he really didn't want to go.

He wasn't about to chance it though, so he walked to the door and Campbell followed him.

Now they were just standing there awkwardly, not quite sure what to say to each-other.

Adam quickly got impatient and cleared his throat.

"Do you have a pen and paper?" He asked after searching his own pockets. Campbell quickly nodded and grabbed both off of the counter. After writing his phone number, he gave them both back.

"Text me anytime." He said as he walked out.

Before he reached the end of the walkway, Campbell yelled out, "Thanks. You know, for everything. I needed it. By the way, call me Cam. See ya!"

Adam couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his lips.

"Bye!" He yelled back.

_Maybe intervening today wasn't so bad_, he thought.

* * *

When he finally got to the school, Drew was waiting for him.

"Where were you?" He demanded, wasting no time.

Adam just sat on the stairs and ignored him. He was in too good of a mood for Drew's crap.

Drew didn't get the hint.

"Do you even know what could have happened?" Drew yelled. "I thought you might've gotten beat up or something!"

_Or something_, Adam thought with a hint of a smile.

"I could get in trouble with mom because of you." Drew continued.

Oh, so that's why he cared.

"Don't act like you haven't skipped before, Drew." Adam calmly said.

Drew's nostrils flared as he said, "That's different!"

He really doesn't know when to stop.

"No, it's not. So what's the big deal?" Adam said as he picked his nails, getting frustrated.

"You aren't like _me_, Adam." Drew said snootily.

That made Adam see red. "Don't you dare say anything else." He warned.

"What do you think you're going to do? Beat me up?" Adam glared at him as he laughed, saying nothing.

"That's right. You can't and won't do shit!" Drew yelled. "You're nothing but talk."

Adam got up and stepped towards Drew, "Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" He sneered.

Drew scoffed and crossed his arms. "Whatever. I'm not going to even bother. Mom's going to hand your ass to you anyways."

"I would use a different choice of words, but yes."

Adam and Drew both jumped up, startled at their mother's sudden appearance.

Audra Torres however just stared at Adam.

"We need to talk."

* * *

**_Seems like Adam is in a bit of whirl, eh? Leave your thoughts, questions, predictions and anything in between in a review! Spread the love._**

**_~ S._**


	4. Trade Yourself In

_Author's Notes: This chapter was very fun to write, and I hope you guys enjoy it._

_Thanks again for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites. It definitely makes a difference._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any Degrassi characters used or referenced in this story.**

* * *

_**"You see me**_  
_**And you know I am not the same**_  
_**Can't pretend to just fake a smile**_  
_**Cause you know I feel every ounce of**_  
_**Pain combined**_  
_**With the loss of a youthful mind**_  
_**You need to look at what you've become**_  
_**And try to figure out where you came from"**_

"Hey mom." Adam said awkwardly.

Audra just shook her head and calmly said, "Get in the car, guys. This is not the place to have this conversation."

"Ooh." Drew whispered while making the hand movements for putting ice on a burn.

Since Audra was right in front of Adam, he couldn't do what was oh so tempted to, which was give Drew the middle finger. The only thing he could do was ignore him, for now. It would irritate Drew, but not get Adam into trouble which made it pretty satisfactory for the younger brother.

"What conversation?" Adam asked, hoping to stall her.

This time anger was definitely in her voice as she said, "You know what. Now get in the car before we have this talk publicly."

Adam could've made a smart-ass remark about being threatened but he was wise enough to be quiet and do what she said.

Drew caught on as well and slipped into the back seat after putting his stuff into the trunk.

As she started the car, Audra gave both Drew and Adam a steely glare.

"Before we really start talking, is there anything either of you want to tell me?" She asked while drumming her fingers against the steering wheel.

Adam and Drew were relatively surprised to hear her refer to both of them. Apparently it wasn't just Adam who was in trouble.

Adam stayed quiet but Drew launched into an explanation.

"I had no idea that Adam was skipping today, mom. If I would have known, I would've brought him back or at least called you. I found our right after practice, when he wasn't there. You can't blame me for this!" Drew said, trying to defend himself.

Audra rolled her eyes. "That isn't what I'm talking about, Drew. Adam do you have anything to contribute?"

Adam still stayed silent. In fact, he was so quiet that Audra had to take a glance back while she drove to see if he had heard her.

"I guess not!" She finally exclaimed, exasperated.

Adam knew he had to play this situation smartly, and making her mood worse was the exact opposite of what he needed to do.

"I want to talk about this when Dad is around too. This way I don't have to repeat myself and you guys can both come to a conclusion about what to do at the same time." He said quietly.

There was silence before Audra said, "Very well."

Drew immediately elbowed him when Audra wasn't paying attention to them anymore due to being lost in her own thoughts.

"What are you doing? Both of them at the same time? You're going to get us both in major trouble!" He hissed.

Adam shrugged. He had tricks up his sleeve to not get as much trouble. He didn't know what Drew was in trouble for, so he couldn't really help him. He probably wouldn't if could either because he was tired of him getting away with the majority of the shit he pulled.

Drew didn't seem to be okay with that though.

"Mom, I'm sorry. Let's talk about it now, please. I want to know what I've done to make you so upset." Drew said, sucking up as much as he possibly could.

"No, I don't think so. I agree with Adam. Let's continue this discussion when your dad gets home." She said as they pulled into their driveway.

Drew glared at Adam in response, which made Adam scoff.

Like he cared.

_**~~The Journey~~**__**~~The Journey~~**_

When their dad finally came home late that night, it was an ugly sight to see.

Adam was doing a history assignment, although he swore he wouldn't do any homework for an indefinite amount of time, and had paper all over the dining room table, where he was working.

Drew on the other hand was watching a movie and texting, with popcorn bits scattered on the couch.

When Adam heard the house door open and close, he quickly finished his paper's conclusion and snapped his head up. It would defeat the purpose of getting in his father's good graces before the talk by doing homework if he saw the mess he made while doing it.

Quickly, he gathered up all the papers around him that wasn't a part of his report in stack, which he easily slipped into his backpack in the hallway, near the stairs.

Drew however didn't notice that Omar was home until he heard Adam say, "Hey dad!" loudly.

Adam wouldn't admit it, but that was his way of warning Drew as subtly as he could.

When Adam greeted him, Omar gave a half smile, half grimace. As he got closer, he saw his dad had stubble and purple bags under his eyes.

_Damn._ When was the last time he looked at his dad? They weren't on the best of terms, but Adam still cared about him.

"Did you get a lot done today?" He asked, no longer stalling for just the sake of Drew, but because he genuinely was curious and wanted to talk more.

Omar looked at him suspiciously due to his sudden interest, but finally answered by saying, "Relatively."

As Omar took off his suit, Adam tried to continue the conversation.

"Well, I just finished a history assignment. Can you look it over for me?" He asked, more earnestly than he would've liked to have sounded.

"I'm sure you did fine. You always did." Omar said wistfully before Audra came out of the kitchen.

"Hey honey," She said as she gave him a peck on the cheek. "We saved a plate of food for you."

Omar's expression instantly softened when he looked at his wife.

"Thanks." He said lovingly, giving her a small hug.

When he stood back and saw Audra's face become serious, his expression hardened again.

"All of us need to have a chat." She said, pointing to the table.

Adam and Drew, who just appeared by his side, immediately went over and sat down.

Omar approached warily though.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Adam, Drew? Tell your father what's going on." Audra said sternly.

Adam clenched his eyes and decided to rip this off like a Band-Aid and blurted out, "I skipped my last two classes."

"You what?" Omar practically growled. "What were you thinking? I taught you better than that!"

Damn it, damn it, damn it. Adam cursed in his head.

He was already in a bad mood so Adam had to use his tricks fast.

"I'm sorry, dad. I wasn't thinking at all. I was nervous and let that fog my judgment."

"Nervous about what?" Audra interrupted.

Adam took a breath. _Time to pull out the big guns._

"I was nervous because I didn't know how you would react. Mr. Goldwin, my English teacher, gave me a form for you guys to fill out so I can be tested into 12th grade English." He said slowly.

Suddenly the energy in the room shifted.

"That's great, Adam." Audra said, thoroughly shocked. She shook herself out of it however when Omar cleared his throat.

"Still it wasn't right for you to skip school, whether you were nervous or not. We need to know that you'll your lesson so although we're happy about your achievement, you will need to be given a punishment. I think a reasonable one will be no phone or television for a week. Because we know you need to use your computer for school, you will be allowed to still go on it. If we catch you doing anything other than homework, there will be consequences. Now, go get the form. After that, you will need to hand over your phone."

Adam was a tad surprised. He expected a worse punishment, but you wouldn't see him trying to question it or ask for a more limiting one.

"Okay. Let me go get it." He said before he quickly left to go get his backpack in the hall.

He found the form easily enough, so he sent a quick text to Jake and Cam, the only people besides Drew and occasionally Audra who would text him.

_'Grounded 4 week. IM me musicquest32'_

As soon as they were sent, Adam deleted his messages and turned off his phone before going back into the dining room.

"Here you go." Adam said, sliding the form across the table.

"Thank you." Audra said before turning to Drew. "Now it's your turn to explain."

Drew nervously cracked his knuckles. "I don't know what I did wrong."

Omar tapped his fingers against the table. "Do what your mother said. You're almost an adult, so tell me what's going on before I have to treat you like a little kid."

Drew gulped but otherwise did nothing.

"Fine, we'll do it the hard way then." Audra said. "When I got a call from the school about Adam missing his classes, they also informed me that you are failing all but two of your own. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry. I should be working harder." Drew stated, saying what he knew they wanted to hear.

Both Omar and Audra caught on to what Drew was doing.

"Saying 'sorry' isn't enough. You'll be suspended from the football team soon if you don't pick you grades up!" Omar snapped.

Audra glared at her husband before saying, "It's so much more than that. This is your future we're talking about. This is really disappointing to find out, Andrew."

Drew had the decency to look ashamed at that.

"Do you have anything else you want to say?" Audra asked. When Drew shook his head, she let out a long sigh.

"Then both of you should head to your rooms and go to bed."

They both nodded and got up. Adam picked his backpack off the floor and went upstairs, with his brother behind him.

Before he went to his room, Adam stopped.

"Drew?" He called out.

Drew stopped walking and turned around. "Yeah?"

He didn't know if this was a good idea or not but he figured it was too late to back out. "Do you have any of your course assignments with you? I could help."

Drew gave him an odd look before shaking his head. "No, but thanks. Sorry about what I said earlier."

Adam rubbed the back of his neck. Drew rarely apologized. "It's okay. Well, night."

"Night." Drew said while going into his room.

After Drew's door closed, Adam sighed and followed suit into his own room.

_**~~The Journey~~**__**~~The Journey~~**_

Adam was idly on his computer when an instant message popped up, from the user 'thegamer06'.

**Thegamer06: hey**

**Musicquest32: Hey Jake**

**Thegamer06: y did u get grounded ?**

Adam sighed. He wasn't going to type the whole story out. Instead, he would just go with the shortest version possible.

**Musicquest32: Skipped some classes and the school called the 'rents.**

**Thegamer06: oh. that sucks, man.**

**Musicquest32: Yeah, I know.**

Adam then minimized the window and Google searched "trans* group chat".

Instead of finding a chat room, he came across a YouTube channel of a guy who chronicled his transition. For the next half hour, he watched videos of the changes that the guy experienced and how his life became dramatically different.

It was amazing to watch his voice get deeper, his hair grow in darker and thicker, and his fat redistributing which made him look almost like a biological male. It gave Adam more hope than he had felt in months.

But then suddenly, he felt his dysphoria show up and spread all across his mind and body.

Why wasn't that him? Would he ever be able to achieve such results?

His bitterness and self-doubt was interrupted by a beeping noise. He quickly went over to his computer and saw he had another IM, but this time from the user lostandfound101.

**Lostandfound101: Hey. What's up? It's Cam :)**

What could he say to that? Oh, just feeling really shitty because I was born in the wrong body? Uh, no. Instead he replied,

**Musicquest32: Nothing much, just listening to music.**

**Musicquest32: You?**

Would Campbell shun him if he found out?

Adam felt the anxiety take hold of him again and he had to take deep breaths.

He heard another IM from Cam be delivered but he ignored it for the moment.

The YouTube guy gave several tips on passing and feeling more confident. He also suggested a few choice items that would go take away some dysphoria. Adam needed all the help he could get but he didn't have the resources.

However, he did know someone who did.

With that he sent a quick IM.

**Musicquest32: Hey Jake, can you do me a favor?**

**__****~~The Journey~~**_**~~The Journey~~**_

After talking with Jake and making a deal, Adam slowly relaxed and finally looked at Cam's latest IM.

**Lostandfound101: Just thinking**

At first Adam was confused but then quickly remembered his last response and laughed.

**Musicquest32: Want to play 20 questions?**

**Lostandfound101: Yeah.**

**Musicquest32: What's your favorite color?**

And they kept going and going, surpassing 20 questions easily, only stopping when they were too tired to continue.

When they eventually said goodnight, Adam went to bed happy for multiple reasons.

The most important one being that in less than 3 weeks, he would be getting his first real binder.

_**~~The Journey~~**__**~~The Journey~~**_

Adam got up at 5 a.m., as per to his agreement with Jake. It was actually a quite lengthy agreement. Adam just wanted to send him money for the binder and the extra for helping, but Jake wanted a completely different kind of agreement that consisted of 3 requirements.

had to IM Jake every day and phone him once a week.

2. He had to have straight B's, except for math (because everyone hates math), by the end of this marking period, which was in nearly 3 weeks.

3. He had to send a letter to both Jasmine and Martin, explaining everything he felt.

Agreeing was practically torturous for Adam. All of them were incredibly hard, especially the third one. The only good thing about the third one was that he would finally be able to let go the majority of his anger and sadness. Jake was also going to do him the favor of printing, then handing the letters to both of them so they wouldn't have his address or anything.

Anyways, back to the topic. He had to get up early to do his Broadcasting, an elective course, assignment that he failed to finish last night. The subject was relatively easy as it said to describe the basic phases of radio, television and mass media broadcasting. The reason that it was so easy though was because this class actually didn't bore him half to death so he wrote down some quick notes, and during class finished the essay except the last half of his fourth paragraph and the conclusion.

It only took him 15 minutes to complete the rest and he was still up 30 minutes early than his usual time.

_What to do, what to do_ he wondered.

He didn't have to wonder any longer though when he got an IM.

**Lostandfound101: Morning**

**Musicquest32: Jesus, Cam. Who gets up so early?**

**Lostandfound101: Hockey practice. Did I wake you up?**

_Of course_, Adam rolled his eyes. He should have thought about that.

**Musicquest32: Oh, right. I should've known. And nope. Today is my annual insane day. I promise scary clowns and raining mimes are soon to come.**

**Lostandfound101: ROFTL. Gotta go. Break's over. Ttyl.**

**Musicquest32: ttyl**

And then Adam was all alone again. Geez. 25 more minutes until he would usually get up, and an hour and 15 minutes until he had to leave for school.

With nothing else do, Adam sorted his backpack.

Three words; It. Was. Awful.

He had old snacks, broken pencils, crumped up papers, and bent notebooks inside of it, to not go into too much detail.

When he looked through his closet and drawers, he found 3 folders and decided if it was useful it would go into one of the 3, but if not it would go to the garbage bin.

The result in that was a full trash can, 3 half full folders, and dirty hands.

_Gross_, Adam thought disgusted with himself. At least it got taken care of though.

When he was in the bathroom, he just decided to wash and get ready for the day instead of waiting until the last moment.

By the time he was done, it was his usual time of getting up.

After turning off the alarm clock, Adam went downstairs and made some eggs while everyone else were getting their belongings in order.

It was actually quite interesting to be on the opposite and see how rushed everyone was.

"Adam?" Audra asked, startled by the fact he was already up and moving.

After he swallowed his bite of his eggs Adam said, "Morning."

She watched him for another few seconds before bustling around, getting her stuff ready.

Yeah, today was going to be different.

_**~~The Journey~~**__**~~The Journey~~**_

He was a lot more alert than usual during class today. He paid better attention, wrote down better notes, and tried his best to keep up. Tried is the key word though. For him, it was very weird. His anxiety was manifesting in such a way that he had contradicting sides to himself and his concentration was barely there.

Mr. Goldwin's class was next and Adam was super nervous. He didn't know what to expect or how people usually go about this.

Adam knew he whatever will happen, will happen and tried even harder to focus on his history teacher.

Eventually the bell rung, and Adam had a page full of notes but he didn't remember a single thing she said. It was too difficult to make sure he heard every word she said to write down, not to mention trying to understand it.

When the bell rung, he hung back just to talk to the teacher though.

"Excuse me, ma'am? I was wondering if you were handing out any extra credit assignments." Adam politely inquired.

The teacher studied him for a moment before saying, "I do indeed, Mr. Torres. Why should I let you take advantage of this opportunity when for the last few weeks, you have blatantly ignored all my lectures?"

She had a point, but Adam really needed to get this extra credit.

"I know I've been slacking Mrs. Ross but I'm trying to start over on a new leaf, if you will. By doing the extra credit I was hoping to raise my grade and show how serious I am." Adam explained.

"Okay, Mr. Torres but this will be the last time I help you if you don't come through on this. I have another student in my other 11th grade class that needs to do extra credit as well. His name is Dave Turner. If you two can do a project of high standard with each-other, I will raise both your grades one letter. If you can't, I will deduct 10 points from both of your final grades. Remember this will have to be an equal partnership. Come see me Friday, and you can discuss this offer with Mr. Turner. Here's a note for your next class, as I'm sure you'll be late. Have a good day, Mr. Torres." Mrs. Ross said with a slight smile.

"You too." He muttered as he practically ran out the door.

She ended up being right. He was late.

He had to knock the door, as it was locked.

One of Mr. Goldwin's students automatically answered the door and all eyes were on him.

"Well good morning, Mr. Torres! I almost thought we wouldn't be seeing you today. You came through though." Mr. Goldwin said from his chair.

Adam just nodded and put the form and his excused slip on the desk, ready to sit down but before he could do so, Mr. Goldwin stopped him.

"Oh no, no. Your testing is today, champ. Just head right across the hall with a Number #2 pencil. Bring the form with you. Good luck!"

Adam mentally sighed. Just his luck. He did as he was told though, and went to the room across the hall.

The teacher who answered when he knocked was a short, bald man with freckles across his nose and cheeks. "Hey there! You're Adam Torres, correct?"

Adam nodded and followed him in. At least there was one good thing: there was no one else in the room.

"Just let me see that the form is 100% completed and you can start your testing." The teacher said in a happy tone.

Adam had a feeling the teacher was one of the minority of people who actually have a bounce in their step. When he was waiting, he thought about Cam and what they talked about the night before.

During their conversation, Adam somehow let it slip that he was getting tested for 12th grade English today. Cam was actually really excited for Adam and thought he would do well.

In his words, the advice he gave Adam was, "Just keep your stick on the ice and you'll do fine."

Caught in his own thoughts, he let out a startled yelp when the balding teacher was sudden right beside him.

"And so it is! Well your papers are on the desk on the far right. Good luck!"

"Thanks." Adam said, somewhat sincerely. His palms were sweaty and he was nervous, if he was being honest. He didn't want to be a disappointment.

A second later, Adam sat down and opened to the first page of the test.

After an hour full of pencil and eraser sounds, with the occasional noise of his jittery leg and foot, he was done.

He stood up and stretched before going over to the teacher's desk and placing the test near the keyboard of the computer.

"Good job, Adam. That was perfect timing. Your results will be in by Monday. Now go get some lunch. I'm sure you're quite hungry!"

"Have a good day." Adam muttered to him. Might as well be semi-polite to the man holding his test answers.

Like he had no second to waste, Adam ran out into the hall towards the cafeteria.

The bell had rung 5 minutes ago and he really _was_ hungry.

_**~~The Journey~~**__**~~The Journey~~**_

While he was in line, Adam saw Campbell in the cafeteria in a circle full of jocks.

_I wonder what they're talking about._

Whatever it was, Cam was clearly uncomfortable with it.

_Poor guy_, Adam thought as the line moved up.

While deciding what he wanted, he saw Cam and they made eye contact. Cam gave a small smile and in return Adam gave him a small wave. Adam turned his attention back to the line and quickly it was his turn to pick out his lunch, which he did eagerly.

What he didn't expect was to see Cam in line, right as he turned around.

"Hey." Adam said casually.

"Hey. What's up?" Cam asked just as casually.

"About to grab a seat to eat down at." Adam said while gesturing to his tray.

That made Cam laugh. "Well, can you save me a seat? Preferably somewhere outside too, please?"

"Hmm, alright." Adam said after pretending to contemplate it. "See you there."

It didn't take long for Adam to find a table, however it took him a little longer to find one with shade. Wearing multiple layers of clothing wasn't the greatest most of the time. Every day it got closer to winter, it got more bearable though.

While waiting, he caught Campbell nervously ordering something in the lunch line. The way he kept looking at his jock buddies and outside where Adam was sitting, made him nervous. It almost seemed like Cam was trying to make sure that no one thought he was doing anything strange. Like he didn't want to be seen with someone like Adam, simply because it wasn't normal.

_He couldn't have found out, could he?_ Adam thought nervously.

That would mean at least a quarter of the school would know too, he was horrified to realize.

Trying to calm his breathing, he discreetly looked around but saw nothing unusual. No one was pointing and staring, and no one was whispering to each-other.

_So what's going on then?_ Adam wondered.

That was the moment Cam sat down with a tray of milk, two pizza slices, and apples.

"Hey." Cam said, as he opened his carton of milk.

"Hey." Adam said, trying to smile but failing.

"How did you sleep? You were up pretty early." Cam asked, concern evident in his voice

Adam shook his head. "I slept very well actually. Didn't toss at all."

Cam smiled and said, "Me too."

Before taking a bite out of his pizza slice, Cam looked at Adam and saw something was bothering him.

"What's wrong?" Cam asked confusedly.

Adam decided he would just say it and not bullshit. "Do you not want to be seen together?"

"W-what?" Cam stuttered.

Adam sighed. "You heard what I said."

"Why would you think that?" Cam said while shaking his head.

It took a while but Adam finally responded. "You seemed really nervous about coming out here."

Cam sighed. "It's not you, Adam. The team has been teasing me about everything lately. Everything to do with me, they find a problem with. How I act, my hair, my friends. Whatever's associated with me won't go far in their books. I didn't want you to get dragged into it, which you could have been if they saw us hanging out."

Cam saw that Adam started to feel relieved, but wasn't fully reassured so he continued. "I just didn't want to scare you off. Being around you is the only time I feel like myself, not some homesick hockey star or depressed, emo kid. I hope you understand." He finished, getting ready to get up.

Adam grabbed his wrist though. "No, sit down. Thanks for telling me that. I shouldn't have been worried in the first place. So did you really skateboard into a ditch?"

From that point, they both continued laughing about last night's conversation and ate lunch like nothing had happened.

When lunch was finally over, it was a bit of a drag.

"Thanks for having lunch with me." Campbell said, smiling.

"No, thank you!" Adam said, and they both started to laugh at their inside joke.

"Well, I'll text you later. Have a good rest of the day." Cam said with a soft smile.

"You too."

After that, they both headed to their respective classes.

For Adam, his next two classes were spent taking notes and trying to understand the lesson being taught, although because he didn't pay much attention to his previous classes he didn't know some of the specific details that were sometimes mentioned. At the end of both classes he remembered to write down the homework assignment in the planner he found under his bed that morning. He was hoping by writing them down, he would remember to do them and he would become more organized.

He was happy when the final bell finally rung though, to say the least. He definitely wasn't used to putting this much effort in school and it was taxing.

Before he left his Physics class, he went up to his teacher's desk.

"Yes, Mr. Torres? How can I help you?" Mr. Edwards asked him curiously.

"I was just wondering if you had the notes from the last few classes, sir." Adam stated, taking his hands out of his pockets.

Mr. Edwards looked at him with a tiny bit of suspicion at the new development, but Adam didn't really blame him. He would probably have the same reaction if a slacking student had asked him for notes.

"I do, Mr. Torres." Mr. Edwards finally said as he opened when one of his drawers. "These are printed so you don't have to worry about copying and returning them."

"Thank you very much." Adam said gratefully. That saved him a lot of time and, because it came directly from his teacher, a lot of headaches whether all the notes taken down were accurate or not.

"Not a problem, Mr. Torres." Mr. Edwards said as Adam put the notes into one of his folders.

He was about to leave when Mr. Edwards said something else.

"I will be expecting more for you from now on, Mr. Torres."

"I understand." Adam muttered before leaving the classroom.

_So will everyone else._

* * *

_**So this was a longer than usual chapter, eh? Tell me what you think about it. Also leave any other thoughts, questions, predictions etc. in a review! Spread the love.**_

_**~ S.**_


	5. Soundtrack To Your Life

_Author's Notes: This chapter was difficult to write. I apologize for any mistakes you see._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any Degrassi characters used or referenced in this story.**

* * *

_**"Your life is a flashback**_  
_**A question, a photograph**_  
_**A statement, a story, a struggle**_  
_**A chance to laugh**_  
_**'Cause if you don't laugh you cry**_  
_**A last crescendo when you die**_  
_**So hit the rewind and listen**_  
_**It's the playback**_  
_**The soundtrack to your life"**_

The next day came quickly, and Adam felt that the morning was just a big blur.

He didn't really remember waking up, getting ready, or hell even getting to school.

Classes went by unexcitedly, just like he expected they would. He forced himself to pay attention though and made sure to take notes for every class. The only interesting part of any class he attended that day were watching the other students. Only during that time, the odd day's blindfold lifted and he grew fascinated with the practice of watching the students he once tried his best to ignore.

He found out some pretty odd things, but most of what he gathered was the average teenage drivel that he had no use for.

There was only one thing that really caught his attention, and it was about Cam.

If it was true, he had to find him as soon as possible.

It was lucky that lunch was only in 10 minutes because otherwise he would skip, and get into trouble again.

It would be worth it, but he was glad he didn't have to take that chance.

He just had to wait for the slow clock to finally get to 12.

Until then he counted every tick.

_**~~The Journey~~**__**~~The Journey~~**_

Cam was relatively easy to find. Once Adam checked in and around the cafeteria, he walked through the hall to one of the side exits in Degrassi and found Cam innocently sitting on the steps outside.

He quickly opened the door, which startled Cam enough to move over so Adam could sit on the steps with him.

Adam knew that before even talking to him, something was wrong with Cam, whether the information he had heard was true or not. Maybe that's why he was approaching this situation so gently.

"Hey, Cam," Adam greeted softly.

"Hey."

He had heard snippets of rumors that Cam had been taunted by his team for not performing well in practice.

Adam turned his eyes to the football field. He wondered what Cam was thinking.

Adam felt like beating himself up for not IMing Cam in the morning since he had woken up early again. At the time, he felt like he was on autopilot so it just wasn't his first thought, but now he wanted to kick himself.

From what he briefly saw, Cam's eyes looked slightly red and he had to force himself not to think of Cam crying alone in the locker room.

After a long period of time passed Cam whispered, "I'm okay."

Adam slowly turned to look at Cam. After looking him up and down, he sighed.

"No, you're not." Adam started. When Cam put his face into his arms, Adam continued. "But I know you will be."

No response.

Adam tentatively rubbed Cam's back.

After a while Adam also said, "I'm here for you."

That choked Cam up even more but eventually he relaxed and Adam withdrew his hand.

Cam got up a few moments later and held his hand out, lifting Adam from the stairs.

When Adam was up as well, Cam focused intently on Adam's eyes, like he could see through him.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"Always." Adam smiled weakly, wanting to look away but making sure not to break their connection.

As Cam finally walked back inside, Adam's worry lessened but was still there.

His friend was going to make it through even if Adam had to go to hell and back helping him.

_**~~The Journey~~**__**~~The Journey~~**_

Later on, when his classes were over Adam automatically went to Mrs. Ross' classroom.

He foud the short, brunette woman talking with an African American boy who was wearing a green hoodie.

Both the boy and Mrs. Ross looked in his direction after they heard the door open and close.

"Good, you're here! Dave this is Adam Torres, and Adam this is Dave Turner. You two will be partners for this extra credit opportunity." Mrs. Ross said, introducing the two boys.

Dave gave him a nod which Adam gave back after a quick evaluation.

He didn't seem like a high profile student so Dave was relatively safe to work with. After thinking that, Adam relaxed his stance a tad as Mrs. Ross continued to talk.

"I was just explaining to Dave what you guys will be doing. The project in itself will be simple. You two will have to create a model of a colonial house and write about the colonists and their life in the "New World" during the early 1600s. But remember, there must be no plagiarism in the report, and if I find out that the work was not split equally, there will serious consequences. Do you boys understand?"

After they both nodded their heads, Mrs. Ross went to her desk and got out two yellow papers.

"Here is the grading rubric. Both of you have copies just in case one of you loses it, or if you want one to keep at home so that you can reference it during the project." She said as she passed them both a copy.

"Thank you." Adam said out of instinct.

"You're welcome. That seems to be it. If either of you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask me. My email is at the bottom of the paper. Now, I have to get going so come along."

Neither of them had heard her last sentence, since they were both reading the grading rubric.

This made Mrs. Ross sigh and start tapping her foot.

"I will need to lock the classroom door before leaving and locking in two students doesn't seem beneficial. If you leave me no choice though..," She trailed off

That certainly got their attention. Less than 10 seconds later they were at the door which made Mrs. Ross laugh.

"Happy Friday! Good luck!" She exclaimed before heading toward the staff room on her way out.

Now it was just Adam and Dave.

Awkward.

"So what's up, dude?" Dave asked while they walked through the hall.

"Uh, not much. This project will be easy, yeah?" Adam nervously replied.

Dave either didn't catch his tone or ignored it thankfully and said, "Yeah. Good thing for that or else I would be getting a D for this marking period. Why do you need it?"

"I made a bet with a friend that I could raise all my grades. If I do, he owes me and I get whatever I want." Adam said casually. He wasn't lying, just omitting a few details.

"Nice. That's a way cooler reason than mine. My ride's outside so give me your number and I'll text you later about the project." Dave hurriedly blurted out.

After they exchanged numbers, Dave literally ran like his ass was on fire.

_I guess his ride doesn't like waiting_, Adam mused.

While he walked down to the football field, he couldn't help but laugh at the mental image of Dave's pants actually being on fire.

_**~~The Journey~~**__**~~The Journey~~**_

He woke up suddenly, his breath rapid and shallow.

It was obvious he just had a nightmare, but he had no clue of what.

All he remembered was the feeling of hopelessness and being suffocated.

Even after waking up, he was scared.

After regaining some composure, Adam got up from his bed and turned on his bedroom light.

He hoped this wasn't the start of another series of nightmares.

It had happened a few times last year, and the year before that.

He sighed. His phone clock read that it was 3 a.m., Saturday morning.

There was nothing for him left to do so the only option was to go back to bed.

With one more shake of his head, he turned off the light and tried to go back to sleep.

_**~~The Journey~~**__**~~The Journey~~**_

When he woke up a few hours later, Adam felt no better.

In fact it was like a dense, black cloud was hanging over him.

After idly sitting around in his bed, he decided he might as well go down stairs. Maybe he could watch T.V. or do something more entertaining than what he was currently doing.

As he walked down and went towards the living room, Adam saw Audra in the kitchen.

When she saw him, she gave him a toothy grin.

"Hey, I was just making breakfast. Do you want some?" She asked chirpily.

"Yeah, sure." He muttered as he came into the kitchen. She was obviously in a good mood.

She soon plated the pancakes she was making and put them in front of Adam.

"Thanks."

After finishing one of the pancakes, Adam couldn't resist asking, "Did something good happen today?"

"Oh, nothing special. It's just time to start preparing for the party next week." She answered casually.

That explains it, Adam thought. Her parties always put her in a happy mood.

Today it however didn't put him in one as he thought back to a memory that happened two years ago.

It was during an annual cocktail party that Audra threw for the entire community since Adam remembered.

One of the people there was a few of Audra's. She was rather young, just in her early 30's, and was a therapist. She and Adam had accidentally run into each-other.

After he apologized for not paying attention they ended up taking, and Adam's nightmares had got brought up. It wasn't a forced subject since the reason he had not paid attention to his surroundings in the first place was because he was so tired after a week of nightmares. It turned into a long chat where at the end, she determined his nightmares came from his anxiety over his transition.

Adam knew the anxiety manifested in the form of him not being able to control his situation and the worry of being targeted due to his condition.

When Audra heard about it though, she thought that it was due to him doubting himself.

From that moment on, Audra religiously believed that this was just a phrase and the rest of family believed that as well.

Adam had wondered on multiple occasions what would have happened if he hadn't met the therapist at the party Audra held.

_Would they be more supportive?_  
_Would they try harder to understand?_

Adam had to shake himself out of those thoughts. There was no point in thinking about what ifs and what could have happened. He just had to accept the present and go from there.

Dragging himself back to the present moment, Adam put his plate into the sink as he now had absolutely no appetite.

"I'm going to go take a walk. Is that okay with you?" Adam asked.

She waved him off. "Sure. Just be back soon."

With her permission he left, but not before he grabbed a lighter.

* * *

He ended up in a nearby park.

There were a few people who passed by at times, but overall it was empty.

Adam knew he should have texted Cam, but he just wouldn't let himself do that. Cam already had so much on his plate. He didn't need Adam's baggage too.

Adam sighed and played with the lighter.

His eyes watched the flame flicker sporadically.

The colors captivated him, keeping him in the moment.

It was like a seeing a passionate dance between a person and the beautiful struggle of life.

The deepest of blues softly faded into blood red, constantly swirling between orange and white just like a dysfunctional relationship.

The inevitability of depending on each other to keep the flame alive played out several times.

So fluid and dynamic, it was sad to think of all the people who missed out on the experience of watching fire just because they let their fear of possible danger prohibit them from staying.

He felt like he had almost sucked the fire's essence in his eyes, and in his heart he saw that he was truly flickering flame.

He related to it like no other with the way they both desperately sucked oxygen in to continue living, demanded respect, and had dangerous sides although sometimes you couldn't see Adam's easily.

Outside appearances were very deceiving.

Suddenly he felt the urge to burn something.

He quickly grabbed a leaf from the bench he was sitting on, but it didn't give him the satisfaction he was longing for.

His arms gradually started to seem more and more appealing.

His hand was shaking in anticipation, waiting for the burning flame to kiss his skin.

Then out of nowhere, it was hit away from his body.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

He looked up slowly.

_Shit._

It was the girl from "The Incident".

Her brown curls were swinging side to side as she shook her head at him.

"There are different ways of coping with stress! And there are kids here! With if they saw you and thought it was okay to do the same?" She ranted.

For some reason, he felt ashamed. He shouldn't have even thought about burning himself. He had come so far to almost lose everything he achieved.

"I know. I'm sorry." Adam said, interrupting whatever she was going to say next.

Apparently, that shocked her enough to stop talking. Now she was just gaping at him.

"I'll go now." He said, getting up.

That seemed to break whatever spell she was in. "No, no. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

Adam studied her. She seemed genuine. "I'll be fine."

She looked for something in purse and came out with a small post-it note. She quickly wrote something down and gave it to him.

"I'll see you around. Stay safe." She said to him before returning to her all in black boyfriend.

She waved as she returned to the boyfriend, but quickly went back to laughing and holding hands with her boyfriend.

Adam looked at the paper. It had her phone number.

Right after the phone number was an actual note though.

_Text me if you ever need to talk._

_- Clare Edwards_

He finally knew her name.

_**~~The Journey~~**__**~~The Journey~~**_

The weekend went by quickly and it was time to head to school.

When he got there, Adam had to stop in the principal's office to get his new schedule.

"Remember, if it becomes too stressful come talk to me. We'll try to work it out as best as we can."

Yeah, he had passed the test.

It was just his luck that the only available 12th grade English class was first in the morning.

Adam walked uncomfortably to the class.

When he finally got there he straightened up and knocked. He soon heard a woman's voice to come in, which he immediately did. He did a quick survey of the class and was shocked to find Clare, the girl from the park, here in class.

What a small world.

He didn't let his shock show through like she did, and continued his confident stride to the teacher's desk.

Rule #46: All high school students are parasites. Don't give them anything to suck on.

"Hello there. Am I right to assume you are the new addition to the class?"

Adam gave a grin and replied, "Yes ma'am."

"Splendid!" She said and walked to the center of the classroom. "Class, this is your new classmate. Please introduce yourself Mr. Torres."

All the students who hadn't already paid him attention, now openly stared.

"Hey there. I'm Adam. I like comics, skateboarding, and sleeping though I doubt I'll be able to do that in here." He said jokingly, with no hesitation, which earned a few chuckles.

"You are quite right, Mr. Torres. Pick any of the available seats and remember to pay attention." She said with a smile.

He ended up picking a seat in the second to last row, right next to the window.

"Now today class, we're picking partners for the new project we're working on. Write your name on a piece of paper and put in the hat that's being passed around."

Everyone did as they were told and put their name in the hat. Soon the partners were being picked.

It finally came to Clare's boyfriend, who was dubbed Death Angel in Adam's head, and Adam crossed his fingers hoping he wouldn't get picked.

"Adam Torres." The guy said.

_Seriously?_

* * *

_**Please take a moment and leave any thoughts, questions, predictions etc. in a review! They help me keep going whenever I reach rough spots.**_

_**~ S.**_


	6. The Show Goes On

_Author's Notes: Again, thank you all for your reviews and your support._

**Disclaimer: Although I wish I owned Degrassi, I sadly don't. Any characters used or referenced belong to the creators of Degrassi.**

**Onto the story!**

* * *

_**"Alright, already, the show goes on**_  
_**All night 'til the morning, we dream so long**_  
_**Anybody ever wonder when they would see the sun go**_  
_**Just remember when you come up, the show goes on"**_

Adam ran out of his last period class, trying to avoid being seen by his persistent English partner. To his credit, the guy seemed to take the class seriously but Adam really wished they weren't partners. He didn't want to have to be seen with him and by association - Clare.

Luckily the project wasn't actually due until next marking period, so Adam had been steadily avoiding Goth Boy for the last two days.

However one project he had to complete for this marking period was the history one, and he needed Dave Turner to actually do his part.

It had been almost a week since they were given the assignment and its instructions, yet Dave hadn't even texted him about working on it let alone reply to Adam's texts. Thank goodness Adam was sneaky and found loop-holes in everything, because this was the time he had to put those skills to use. He was also thankful that Mrs. Ross had given each of them the grading rubric so Adam was able to start on the report. He figured that he would write the report, let Dave adjust the introduction and the conclusion, and they would both work on the colonial model. This way, he could say they had put an equal amount of work in the assignment and still get the grade he needed to boost his percentage in the class.

Apparently, letting his partner do most of the work was nothing new for Dave. Adam had done his research through past articles on the school website and by word of mouth. All he had to do was subtly say Dave's name to an eager student, and he would get tidbits of information. From what he gathered, Dave was a guy focused only on his own goals and he rarely went out of his way for others. When he did, it was usually due to previously doing something not right to the person/people and trying to set it right. Adam didn't hold anything against Dave for that though since if he did, he would be a hypocrite. What he did hold against him was the laziness Dave also held and how he dragged other people down because of it. Adam would not let himself be one of those people.

That's why he was currently tracking Dave Turner down. He heard from multiple people that he was last seen in the parking lot, talking with a few guys on the basketball team.

After a few minutes of searching, Adam finally spotted him.

"Dave." He said as he walked up to the other boy.

"Hey Adam." Dave greeted, startled at Adam's sudden appearance. "What's up?"

Adam looked to the guys next to Dave. They were all tall, muscular, and idiotically laughing at middle school jokes. Adam knew there was more than what was seen at the surface, but he detested that they just played right into their stereotypes as brainless sheep with only hand-eye coordination as their saving grace.

He barely held his sneer.

"We need to work on our assignment." He bluntly stated to Dave.

"Oh, yeah." Dave cleared his throat, turning to his friends. "See you later guys."

"See ya, bro!" One of them said. Adam didn't bother looking at which one as he walked out of the parking lot.

Dave moved quickly, trying to keep up with Adam's pace. "I didn't know we were working on it today." He said conversationally. Adam rolled his eyes.

"The project is due in almost a week. I'm not waiting until the last minute." He replied curtly.

"Ah, well that's cool. Where are we headed?" Dave asked, trying to act nonchalant.

"First we need to go to a convenience store to buy some supplies, then we're going to the library. I've already done the report, but I need you to re-write the introduction and the conclusion."

His reply seemed to catch Dave by surprise as he asked, "Why?"

That was the last straw for Adam. "Why, what? Why did I do the entire report or why do you need to re-write the two easiest paragraphs? Well for you information, I wrote the report because I'm not letting you slow me down and I'm making you re-write those two parts because unlike your past partners, I'm not letting you skate by and possibly get me into trouble by not following the instructions."

Dave stopped walking for a second, probably shocked at the outburst of the seemingly calm guy.

Adam shook his head to calm himself down. It wouldn't behoove him to get on the bad side of a busy-body like Dave. "Whatever, man. What's done is done. Let's just finish this already."

"Yeah, okay. Sorry bro." Dave mumbled.

Neither of them said anything after that, and quietly went into the first store they saw.

The store was small enough that they were able to spot and walk to the Arts and Crafts section within seconds.

"What do you think? Should we make it with clay or sticks?" Adam asked while looking up and down the aisle.

"I don't know. Whatever's cheaper." Dave answered while he looked to see what options they had.

"The popsicle sticks are cheaper, but the clay will be easier to make and do a good job with." Adam replied, making his decision.

"Oh, okay." Dave went along with him.

When they walked up to the cash register and got rung up, Adam grimaced. It was $12.47 and he only had 10 bucks for spare money because he needed to save up.

"How about we split the cost?" Adam suggested.

Dave raised his eyebrows but agreed.

"Yeah, that's fine."

After they paid, they headed towards the library.

Adam had never been to this particular library before, although he had heard of it. When he walked in, he was astounded. It was beautiful.

"Woah." He whispered.

The library was pretty impressive in size and in the beauty of the massive woodwork bookshelves. It also had multiple desk areas and in the far corners of the room, plush chairs.

"Yeah, it's nice. Let's go sit at one of those tables." Dave said, pointing to the middle of the room.

"Alright."

For the next hour they worked on the model until it was almost done. Unfortunately, they couldn't finish before the library closed.

"It sucks that they closed early today." Dave commented while carrying his things.

"Yeah. I need to figure out how to get the rest done." Adam said in a concerned tone.

"I'll take it home and finish it, bro. I'm sorry about earlier. Can we just forget it?" Dave asked, sounding sincere.

Adam thought about it. Maybe he judged this guy too quickly.

"Sounds fair." Adam agreed, shaking Dave's hand.

"Sweet. Well, I got to go. See you soon." Dave said, walking away.

Adam nodded, but frowned. He felt like face-palming himself. How the fuck was he going to get home? He should've thought this through.

Adam snapped his fingers.

He had just remembered that Drew had the car today because Audra had the day off.

Adam quickly took out his phone and scrolled to Drew's number.

Before he did anything though, he considered it.

Did he really want Drew to have something to hold against him?

Adam tapped his fingers on his pant leg. No, but he was tired and completely not in the mood to walk back home.

He sighed, knowing what he had to do.

His eyes focused on the phone before pressing the evil call button.

"Hello?"

_**~~The Journey~~The Journey~~**_

"You totally owe me." Drew announced as he opened the door to their house.

Adam grunted. Drew had been saying variations of that phrase the entire time they were in the car. It seemed his brother was thrilled he finally had some leverage over Adam.

The feeling wasn't mutual, to say the least.

"What? Not happy because you're basically my slave?" Drew taunted.

"Shut up." Adam snapped.

"That isn't how you should be talking to the person who just gave you a ride home. Without me you would've taken until it was dark to get back." Drew exaggerated.

"If that's what you think." Adam dryly replied.

"Just be quiet, Adam. You just don't want to admit you actually needed my help." Drew egged him on.

"Shut the hell up, Drew. I didn't need you and I will never need you!" Adam shouted, tired of hearing his step-brother drone on.

"Oh, really? You said something different a few years ago when you were getting your ass kicked!" Drew yelled back.

By this point, they had got the attention of both of their parents.

"What's going on?" Omar asked gruffly, going in between them.

"He's being an asshole!" Adam snapped, pointing at Drew.

"Language!" Audra reprimanded, while coming out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, Adam. Language." Drew mocked.

"You fucking – "

"That's it!" Audra screamed. "You guys need to get over yourselves!"

Adam and Drew stared at her, both of their jaws slightly agape.

"Huh?" Adam asked, first to get out of the shock.

"You two are behaving like animals. I understand all teenagers go through this phase, but we will be hosting a gathering soon and I cannot afford for you guys to cause a brawl."

"What does that mean?" Drew asked confusedly.

Neither of them understood where she was going with this.

"I want the both of you to bond. I don't care where you go or what you do, but you are getting out of this house this instant and I won't let either of you in until you sort out your differences, at least for the moment. Now, out!" Audra ordered while ushering them to the door.

"But - " Adam started before the door was slammed, effectively cutting him off.

Drew looked at him. "What do we do now?"

Adam sighed. "I don't know."

Drew shrugged. "Well, I was going to go to the gym before dinner anyway. I guess you're coming with me."

Looking at the door then at Drew, Adam resigned himself to his fate. "Fine, I'll go."

"It was never a choice, little bruh." Drew smirked before he walked off their lawn, and past their car.

"Hey, where are you going?" Adam yelled after Drew.

Drew looked back and shrugged again. "I left the keys on the counter."

_Great_, Adam sarcastically thought before speed walking to catch up to Drew.

_**~~The Journey~~The Journey~~**_

"So, how are you?" Drew asked when they were half way there.

Adam looked at him suspiciously. Did he really just ask him how his day was? Was he in some alternate universe or something?

Drew shook his head, as if he knew what Adam was thinking. "I'm not always a jerk, you know."

That made Adam feel a bit guilty, but not horribly so. Drew _had_ been being a real butthead lately, so why _wouldn't_ Adam think he had some ulterior motive?

"I'm fine." Adam said cautiously. "And you?"

"I'm okay too." Drew replied, before awkward silence engulfed the air between them once again.

"Has anything new happened?" Adam asked, trying to continue the, albeit odd, conversation.

"Nah, not really. Same old, same old." Drew causally answered.

Adam nodded, not really knowing what else to say.

Out of the blue, Drew slowed down. When Adam turned around to ask him what he was doing, Drew pushed his shoulder lightly. "Tag."

Adam gave him a strange look before doing the same thing and replying, "Tag."

Drew grinned at him, and it was contagious. Suddenly, they were both laughing and semi-running away from each-other yelling, "You're it!" until they reached the gym.

Adam smiled as they walked in, trying to calm down. He knew the moment they had was childish, but he wouldn't have traded it for the world.

_**~~The Journey~~The Journey~~**_

Being at the gym was beyond uncomfortable, just like Adam knew it would be.

With his ACE bandages on, it was almost impossible to do any form of exercise, especially weight lifting, without excruciating pain.

The only option Adam had was to walk on the treadmill at a barely above average pace. Man, he felt like a wimp.

"Hey!" Drew screamed, making Adam almost fall off.

"What the hell, Drew?" Adam angrily spat out, not thrilled about his brother's sudden appearance.

Drew only smirked and replied, "I'm done."

_Finally. _Adam's annoyance instantly went away.

"Sweet." He said as he stopped the machine and jumped off. That's when he noticed another figure right beside Drew.

"Oh, yeah. Adam, this is Dallas and Dallas, this is my little bro." Drew introduced.

"Hey." Dallas, a tall guy with light brown skin, said to Adam.

"Hey." Adam replied back slowly, observing the new guy.

"He's the hockey captain of the new team this year." Drew introduced further.

"Nice." Adam commented. _So this is Cam's captain,_he mused.

"Yeah, it's cool." Dallas agreed. "Listen guys, I gotta run. See you later, Drew."

"See ya, man." Drew said back, fist bumping with Dallas before turning back to Adam.

"Ready to go?" He asked while drying off his forehead with a towel.

Adam looked in the direction Dallas just left in. "Definitely."

_**~~The Journey~~The Journey~~**_

When they finally got home, Audra was the one to open the door.

"Well, how are you guys?" Audra asked, looking them both up and down as if looking for evidence of a fight.

"We're good, ma." Drew immediately answered. "And we're both sorry about what happened earlier."

"Yeah." Adam chimed in. "We've settled our differences and understand where you were coming from."

At first Audra didn't seem to believe them, but then slowly smiled when she realized they weren't lying. "Good. You can come in."

"I have a plate of dinner in the refrigerator for the both of you. Once you're done eating, finish your homework, and go to bed. Night." She said before going upstairs.

_Phew_, Adam thought. _No angry mom lecture._

Apparently Drew thought the same thing because when they knew Audra was out of sight, they shared a quick grin.

After heating up their plates, they both went to their rooms.

As Adam sat down in his desk chair, getting comfy, he saw that he had an IM message from Cam that was sent 30 minutes ago.

**Lostandfound101: Hey What's up?**

Adam contemplated telling him that he had meet his captain, but decided against it.

**Musicquest32: Not much. Had a pretty good day, wbu?**

As he waited for a reply, he relaxed and ate his dinner.

It really had been a good day.

* * *

_**Please take a moment and leave any thoughts, questions, predictions etc. in a review! I appreciate every single one. And while you're there, tell me what your hardest class is! One of them might come up in a later chapter. **_

_**~ S.**_


	7. Waves

_Author's Notes: Hey, guys. I've realized something due to one of the reviewers bringing it to my attention: I haven't addressed the pairings for this story._

_There will either be no pairings, slash (guy/guy), femmeslash (girl/girl), and/or regular ol' hetro (guy/girl)._

_Not to give anything away, but I have an idea where I'm going with this story so unless it changes rapidly, I can say that it will involve all of the previously stated options. I don't think any Degrassi watchers should have a problem with that, but if you do I suggest reading something more of your cup of tea._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any Degrassi characters used or referenced in this story.**

* * *

_**"Waves, picking you up**_

_**Pushing you down, they're always around**_

_**Waves, just like dreams**_

_**Silver and green, we live in between"**_

This was the one day that Adam didn't mind being dropped off early. In fact, he was thrilled! First of all, he wouldn't have to stay late for Drew's practice since it was being held in the morning today. Second, he had a job to do and now he had the time to do it.

Oh yes, Adam was a man with a plan. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of this earlier. It made him almost skip in joy since it would solve so many issues that constantly kept coming up. Namely money, Audra nagging him, things to show to colleges, and something to do with his time after school.

Seemingly all his problems were going to go away if things went as planned. That's why at 7 a.m. Thursday morning, Adam was at his former Chemistry teacher's room.

He quickly knocked at the door and waited politely for his old teacher to come into view.

Mr. Thomas looked shocked at seeing his former student, but let Adam in without question.

"What can I do for you, Adam?" He asked while sipping from his coffee mug.

His actions made Adam slightly smile; his teacher hadn't changed at all. He was the only teacher that Adam had sincere respect for and looked up to. Although he was "well-seasoned", as he liked to put it, Mr. Thomas acted just like he was one of the students. His actions were eager, his wit sharp as a knife, and his kindness made him the favorite of most of the student body. Because of him, Adam actually wanted to do his best and because of that, held an A all year in his class. It just so happened Mr. Thomas had taken a liking to Adam as well, making the situation even better.

"Nothing besides a nice conversation, sir. How have your classes been?" Adam said, at ease.

Mr. Thomas' response was as humorous and promising as Adam hoped it would be. "Frustrating, Mr. Torres, very frustrating. These darn kids just aren't grasping the material this year. I've tried the best I can, but somehow it isn't working. Tell me Adam, should I start using sock puppets?"

Adam freely laughed at his former teacher's antics. "Maybe, just maybe. Are you holding the extra credit tests this year?"

"Of course. I've even lowered the grade to a C so any of the kids that take it, might get enough extra credit to push their grades up. At the rate they're going, only a quarter of my students will pass this marking period!" Mr. Thomas said as his eyes widened comically.

Adam immediately grinned which Mr. Thomas raised his eyebrow at.

"That smile is no good. What's cooking under that beanie of yours?" Mr. Thomas asked wearily.

This was going swell. "What if I said I could make this a win-win situation for both you and me?"

Mr. Thomas rolled his eyes. "I'd say, "Nice joke!"."

"I'm serious, sir. You know that I know basic chemistry like the back of my hand. In exchange for you spreading the word about my tutoring services, I'll get more than half of your students to pass this marking period."

Mr. Thomas sipped more of his coffee. "In theory, that sounds good but remember, this is a public school. Not everyone is rich and can afford private tutoring."

"I know that, sir. That's why I'm only charging $5 an hour. Most students prefer to study for shorter periods of time, so it will not end up costing too much."

When Mr. Thomas took a moment to consider that, Adam knew he had hooked the teacher.

"Very well. What will you do if you cannot fulfill this arrangement?" Mr. Thomas asked.

Adam gulped. He hadn't really thought of that. "I could help grade student papers after school."

Mr. Thomas grinned. It really was a win-win-win situation for him so he had no reason not to agree. "You got yourself a deal, Mr. Torres."

Adam smiled devilishly and shook Mr. Thomas' hand enthusiastically. "You won't regret it!"

Mr. Thomas laughed. "See that I don't. Now, write your information on the board so the class will be able to see."

"Yes, sir."

After he was done, he told Mr. Thomas he would check up with him later, Adam practically skipped out of the classroom.

Everything was going just the way he wanted it to.

_**~~The Journey~~The Journey~~**_

_Buzz. Buzz._

Cam groaned. "Make it shut up, Adam."

Adam just laughed at him, and opened his latest text message. It was his fourth one that he had got during the lunch period regarding potential chemistry tutoring.

"You're just jelly that for once, I'm more popular than you." Adam teased, before ducking to avoid a french fry.

"I can't believe you just said "jelly", you evil conformist." Cam shot at him, dunking another fry in ketchup and throwing it into his mouth.

"Well, this evil conformist wants his fries back. Jerks aren't allowed precious fries." Adam said as he snatched back his plate, sticking his tongue out at Cam as a breeze of wind went through his hair.

It was a pretty clear day so they had been able to eat outside. Usually Adam preferred to be inside, which he made abundantly clear multiple times, but Cam didn't take no for an answer. Today he didn't complain as much, and let Cam think that he would get some form of payback later. To be honest though, the outside area of the cafeteria had grown on Adam.

"You know I didn't mean it." Cam replied, bringing Adam back to the moment. It looked like Cam was trying to give him puppy dog eyes, but with the sun shining down on him, it just looked like he was oddly squinting.

Still, Adam couldn't resist.

"You disgust me." He said as he returned the plate of fries to Cam.

"Awesome." Cam said, before yet again throwing a fry with ketchup on it into his mouth. This time however, some of the ketchup went flying onto his cheek, but he was seemingly unaware.

"You got a little something right there." Adam smirked, pointing to his cheek.

Cam's expression was priceless and Adam had to clutch his sides because he was laughing so much.

Cam had really opened up to Adam recently. He felt comfortable enough to act like himself and because of that, they bonded quickly. Cam still was shy and quiet beyond belief with other people and Adam still limited his social interactions to not gather attention, but once together they forgot everything else and acted as if it was only the two of them in their own little world.

"Real mature." Cam stated as he grabbed a napkin.

"Don't worry, you're still a hot throb." Adam teased, making Cam blush.

"Shut up." He mumbled which made Adam chuckle before yet again, he had a new text message.

"Seriously, why does your phone keep buzzing?" Cam asked, clearly annoyed.

"I'm just trying to make some extra cash as a chemistry tutor." Adam explained, waving his hand dismissively.

Cam's eyes went wide though. "That's so cool. I didn't know you were into science."

"I don't exactly shout it out either." Adam said as he shook his head.

He was constantly called a nerd when he was younger, which was another reason why he avoided talked about academics with anyone. Of course he wasn't going to brag to anyone about his science skills.

"How are you going to be able to tutor all of them?" Cam inquired, as he continued to eat.

Adam sighed. "The problem is, I'm not. Some of the people who text me are too lost for me to help them. Other people will try to negotiate the price with me, which is already as low as I will allow it to be. In the end, I'll probably tutor 6 kids."

"That's still a lot." Cam remarked.

At that moment, lunch ended so he didn't have to answer any more questions.

_Saved by the bell._

"Well, I need the money. See you later." Adam responded.

"See you." Cam said reluctantly.

_**~~The Journey~~The Journey~~**_

When the school day was over Adam went to Mr. Thomas' classroom, just like he said he would.

They discussed all of the students who texted Adam, a grand total of 16, and deduced that he could only help 7 of them. It was a little more than what either of them expected, but it was good. This way he helped more people, and got more money.

Mr. Thomas was kind enough to help Adam come up with a schedule so he could adequately tutor all of them without any trouble. As it seemed, because the final chemistry exam was next Friday, Adam was pressed on time and had to put more than 2 people in for tutoring in a given day.

The final product was accomplished after texting the people discussed and Adam knew he was going to be extremely busy for the next week.

He was walking out of Mr. Thomas' classroom when he saw her.

She commanded attention when she walked, and Adam's gaze was soon fixated on the girl.

It was like she just stepped out of photo-shoot as her dark, curly brown hair swung with each step she took. He couldn't help but notice as she got closer that her lip gloss made her lips as red as a ruby, and the black mascara on her eyelashes made her brown doe eyes pop out. Her skin was clear and a nice tan color, probably making her the envy of dozens of girls and guys alike who would kill for her complexion. Dressed in a leather jacket, almost painted on blue jeans, and a red camisole Adam didn't know whether to call her sexy or just plain hot. Whatever you wanted to say, this girl was _**IT.**_

"Are you Adam Torres?" She demanded to know.

"Yeah, I am. Problem?" She was hot, but the attitude that seemed to surround her was a buzz kill.

She scoffed. "As if. I heard you were tutoring and I want in."

"I already have too many people. I'm sorry, but you'll need to find someone else." Adam finished and tried to politely walk away. Her hand reached out and grabbed his wrist, however.

_What was this girl's problem? _

"I know you can put me in. I heard at least half a dozen people complaining that you wouldn't tutor them." She smirked, like she had the upper hand.

Adam wasn't about to push a girl, but he was getting increasingly irritated.

"I said I couldn't tutor them because I really can't. I'm already past the number I wanted. Kindly move." He contended, but her hand still kept him in place.

"Listen, I really need this. I'm trying hard to get out of this place, and I need a good grade to do that. You're the only one who is tutoring. I'll pay double." She murmured, looking down.

Adam looked at her intently, and frowned. Taking pity on her, he thought about it. He could make it work, but he would have to do it at later times.

"Fine." He conceded, and her head snapped up. "You don't have to pay me double, but you will need to give me a ride back home since I'm working you in at a later time, alright?"

"I can do that."She hesitantly nodded before straightening up and going back to "bad girl" mode. "But I don't want to hear about this around school."

Adam rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, I have much better things to do than that. You have my phone number, right?"

"Yeah, I copied it down." She said as she rifled through her bag.

"Text me, and I'll give you the details Miss..?"

"DeSousa, but my first name's Bianca, or B." Bianca divulged.

"Alright. Well, I'll talk to you later." They both nodded to each other and walked away.

_What a mess._

___**~~The Journey~~The Journey~~**_

Adam was right; he was extremely busy.

The next day, he met with a guy named Darren at 7:00 a.m., and a girl named Ashely at 3:00 p.m. Both of them had simple issues, and once he found a way to explain it, they understood quickly. It was now 5 p.m. and he was waiting for Bianca to show at the library. Like he said, he was able to work her in a little later. Now it was time to see if she was going to hold up her end of the bargain. Just as he was thinking that, Bianca came strolling in on time.

When she spotted him, she hurried over.

"Okay, let's start." She said, getting straight to business.

Adam had no problem with that. "What do you want to start on first?"

Apparently she was having problems with what Adam thought was the simplest concept: molecular shapes.

After 30 minutes of explaining each one, Adam asked her what she didn't catch or wanted him to repeat again.

"Everything!" She practically screamed. "I can't memorize this at all."

Adam didn't know what to do, so he just patted her shoulder. "The teachers often saying to not memorize, but to understand what they're saying. Let's take a small break from this, alright?"

He didn't wait for her to answer when he started asking her questions. "So do you have any hobbies or passions?"

Bianca blinked, but answered the seemingly random question. "Creating jewelry and dancing."

"Cool, cool. I'm a gamer, but I also like to play basketball. I also love reading comics and skating." He said vacantly. While talking, he was trying to think of ways to incorporate what she liked into what she needed to learn.

"That's nice and all, but I'm paying for tutoring, not a conversation." Bianca retorted.

That's when Adam got an idea.

"Yeah, yeah. Follow me." He said, rushing to the most secluded place of the library.

"Why did we move?" Bianca asked suspiciously while looking around.

Adam took off his shoes, leaving on only his socks. "Teaching you, of course."

"You said you were having a hard time remembering this stuff. I'm trying to give you ways to remind you faster." He continued before jumping into a plank on the floor.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she gave him a quizzical look.

Adam ignored her question. "This is what the linear molecular shape looks like, since it's at a 180 angle, which is a straight line." That's when he started doing the slug, which made her laugh. "The best example of it would be Carbon Dioxide, okay?"

She nodded, now concentrating.

"Now this is the bent molecular shape." Adam said in a downward dog position, which was absolutely uncomfortable for him. Quickly, they moved on.

They kept going and going until finally they were done, and their time was up.

He got her to drive him to a house, two blocks away from his own since he didn't want anyone to know where he lived.

"You know, maybe you're not as crappy a tutor as I thought you would be." Bianca stated as she was about to drive off. Adam knew that was the closest as she would come to thanking him.

Before she totally left Adam decided he would repay her kindness and shouted out, "Try to use flashcards!"

"Will do." Bianca said back, then sped off.

He got home within in a few minutes, and unlocked the door with his key.

"Where were you?" Audra and Drew asked at the same time when he got in.

"Public library." Adam said tiredly, exaggerating a yawn. "I'm going to head up stairs. Save me some dinner, please."

He left before they could say anything, and went into his room.

When he was alone, he pulled out the money he collected today out of his pocket.

_15 dollars isn't bad,_ Adam thought to himself. He had to start somewhere.

_**~~The Journey~~The Journey~~**_

On Saturday, he tutored a senior named Phil at 10:00 a.m., a junior named George at 1:00 p.m., and another junior named Rachel at 3:15 p.m, all at the public library.

Sunday, he was extra busy because he had to fit in Darren, Bianca, Christie, and Phil all at different times but still at the public library, meaning he would have to wake up early and go to bed late.

On Monday, he was lucky to tutor George and Darren at the same time at 6:45 a.m., due to the two of them being friends. They actually asked to be tutored together, which Adam was glad about because if they didn't want to be tutored together, Adam would haven't been able to study for his own classes. Later, he had to tutor a girl named Paige at 4:00 p.m. during Drew's practice.

During of this mess, he hadn't been able to talk to Cam at all. He really missed him.

Not even during lunch he had seen Cam due to tutoring Christie during lunch Monday and Tuesday, and George on Wednesday. He had considered walking to Cam's place after Bianca's final study session before the extra credit exam but had a lot of assignments he had put off while tutoring others.

He however did see Cam on Thursday morning, just after tutoring Darren and George for the last time.

It was surprising seeing Cam sit alone, blankly staring out into the parking lot. It was obvious that he was waiting for school to start but Adam thought he would be with other people instead of being alone. He was the first to admit Cam wasn't social, but he was definitely more so than Adam. It didn't make sense.

Either way, Adam saw this as an opportunity to talk to his friend.

"Hey." Adam said with a smile as he sat down next to Cam.

Cam basically ignored him though, only grunting.

"What's up?" Adam asked, trying to get Cam to talk. It worked but not as Adam expected it would.

"We haven't talked for almost a week and now you want to chat?" Cam snapped.

Adam recoiled. He never saw Cam like this before. "I've been busy, you know that. I wanted to talk to you but I was either too tired or surrounded with stuff to do."

Cam scoffed and was about to get up when Adam gently put his hand on his shoulder. "Please, Cam. Just tell me what I have to do to get you to forgive me."

He seemed to deflate right in front of Adam. "I thought you lost interest. That you saw how pathetic I was." He admitted quietly, looking at the gray pavement.

"I know, but that could never happen. I'm sorry for making you think that." Adam said with pleading eyes.

Cam sighed, shrugging off Adam's hand. Instead of flying back down to Adam's side though, Cam caught it with his own hand and gave Adam's a squeeze.

Adam was surprised he had no problems with Cam holding his hand longer than necessary. It was warmer than he expected, and a lot rougher from years of playing hockey. All too quickly, Cam dropped his hand.

"There is one thing you can do." Cam said slowly.

Adam's face lit up with the chance of forgiveness from his friend. "Yeah?"

Cam scratched his head, looking unsure. "I'm going on a date with a girl on Saturday and it would be too awkward alone. I want you to double with me."

That threw Adam for a loop. How much had he missed?

"Y-yeah. No problem." Adam answered, mentally writing down that he needed to look for a date.

Cam gave him a half smile. "Thanks."

Adam just shook his head. "So what's her name?" He asked awkwardly.

Eventually everything relatively went back to normal, which was fine for Adam, at least for the moment.

_**~~The Journey~~The Journey~~**_

Instead of eating, Adam and Dave had to practice presenting their project during their lunch period since today was the day their project was due.

After greeting each-other, they soon buckled down.

"Maybe we should change the wording about how the houses were made." Dave said, frowning.

Adam nodded, he was about to say the same thing. Dave had actually proven to be a good partner, after what happened.

"Yeah. How about_ "The architecture styles were influenced by techniques found in England, as well as traditions brought by settlers from other areas of Europe"_ instead of _"The architecture built were primarily replications of buildings seen across Europe"_?" Adam asked, while chewing on his pen.

Dave wrote out the other sentence and compared both. "The new one is better." He agreed, swapping the sentences.

"I suppose that's it." Adam said finally, after contemplating their presentation for several minutes.

Dave nodded, and picked up his backpack and the house model. "See you later man."

"See you." Adam replied back.

When Dave was gone, Adam sighed and picked at his blue hoodie. Secretly, he was really nervous. He had a lot riding on this project.

A minute later Adam just sighed again, and got up. The die had been cast, and he would find out later what happens. He couldn't do anything else now.

With that, he went off to his next class and hoped for the best.

It turned out his worry was unfounded, because the presentation went smoothly. In fact he could have sworn that he saw Mrs. Ross smile on more than one occasion. She said they would have to wait for their grade until tomorrow, but hinted that they did well.

When he and Dave walked out of the classroom they immediately high-fived each other.

"Booyah!" Adam yelled out, not caring that Dave gave him a weird look.

Dave suddenly pointed behind. Adam was going to ask what was going on, before he heard his name. Well, his last name.

"Torres!" Bianca called out.

"Talk to you later, bro. We'll chill soon." Dave said as he walked out, not so subtlety checking Bianca out.

She completely ignored Dave though and walked up to Adam grinning.

"Mr. Thomas gave me a B+!" She said excitedly.

Adam immediately smiled. He knew that she wanted that just as badly as Adam wanted his project to go well.

"See, you aren't that dumb after all." Adam teased, earning a smack on the arm in return.

"And apparently you aren't either." She quipped right back at him.

Adam then got another idea.

Bianca was the only girl who he knew. He was also the only girl he could talk to.

He didn't even register his words in his own head before he blurted it out.

"Bianca, will you go on a double date with me?"

* * *

_**Please take a moment and leave any thoughts, questions, predictions etc. in a review! I appreciate every single one. **_

_**~ S. **_


	8. Through Glass

_Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and/or alerted The Journey. It means a lot. By the way, I'm fine. School just gets in the way as well as LPD (Lazy Person Disorder). Thanks for asking though!_

_This chapter took a long time to write, and probably still needs a few more proof readings. Still, I hope you enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: If I owned Degrassi, Adam would still be on the show kicking butt. Taking that into consideration, I am most definitely not the owner of Degrassi. Obviously any characters used or mentioned from there are not mine either. Poo.**

* * *

_**"I'm looking at you through the glass.**_  
_**Don't know how much time has passed**_  
_**Oh, god it feels like forever**_  
_**But no one ever tells you**_  
_**That forever feels like home**_  
_**Sitting all alone inside your head"**_

Adjusting his collar, Adam double checked his appearance. He had tried on every clothing item in his closet, twice. Some part of it was to waste time, but he also wanted to look good. He still couldn't believe Bianca had said yes to him, and he wasn't going to make her regret it now. After getting tired of putting back the clothes he kept taking out, he finally ended up settling with a dark navy blue sweater with a red collar poking up from the polo he wore underneath. After a quick consideration, he also decided to wear his gray jeans to complete his outfit.

When he was done, he no longer had anything to put off his lingering thoughts. He really couldn't believe he had a date to attend tonight. It was incredible really, but it also scared Adam half to death.

It wasn't long before Adam started to pace back and forth in his bedroom with his hands in his pockets. His mind was going haywire with nervousness and anticipation. After talking, he and Cam ultimately decided to just have a dinner at a middle price-range restaurant. Figuring out where to go was supposed to be the hard part, yet he still wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do, or what the date was going to be like, which ended up making him more on edge than choosing the place. The weirdest part was that the fact that Cam was going to be there made him more comfortable and excited for what was to come.

In all of his sixteen years, Adam had only been on a date once, excluding the times he went on semi-dates with Jasmine. It was rather awkward to think about it now as years prior he had gone on the date acting like Gracie, and with a boy named Brian.

They had both been 12 years old at the time so their parents had to drive them to the strip mall where Brian, or more likely his parents, decided they would have their date at. Once their parents left, they had only lasted 5 minutes in awkward conversation before they gave up trying to talk and instead went to the arcade right next to the restaurant they were supposed to be eating at.

After an hour, both sets of parents picked them up but never knew that instead of spending time and money on their dinner for the date, they spent it at the arcade hanging out like new friends.

Nowadays, Adam was set on being single for two reasons: Avoiding unnecessary attachments and keeping life as simple as possible. Unfortunately, the double date messed up his plan to be single until he went on testosterone and now he was worrying over this teenage drivel.

He sighed then glanced over at the clock, seeing that he still had some time to wait. To try to pass the time, he sat down on the chair next to his desk and idly looked through his drawer. By chance, he came across a few old pictures that he hadn't seen in years. Taking a seat on his bed, he looked through the small pile, chuckling at a few pictures that included a picture of Casey, an old friend, and Adam together playing cards and one that had been taken sometime after he, Jake, and Martin had gone into middle school.

He jolted up suddenly. He forgot to call Jake.

Quickly, he took out his phone and dialed his friend. When it went to voicemail, he grumbled but left a short message saying to call him back.

Quickly, he opened his computer and typed a message to Jake.

**Musicquest32: Dude I am so sorry I forgot to call. Too many things on my mind. Text you later.**

When he didn't receive an answer immediately, Adam shut down his laptop and looked at the time once more.

It was 7:05 p.m. which meant he had 45 minutes to pick up Bianca and drive to the restaurant.

To be able to do either though, he would need to have the car. Luckily, his dad was the only one home due to Drew being at a team mate's house and Audra going out to buy extra supplies for the party she had to postpone to this Sunday. This meant if he had even the slightest bit of a chance to borrow the car, he had to talk to his dad now.

He dwelled on that thought for a few seconds before standing up. Adam knew if he thought about it any longer he would psyche himself out.

It was now or never.

With that, he walked out of his room and down the stairs. When he stepped into the living room he saw his father sitting on the couch alone and for a single second, he thought about bowing out of the date. Quickly he threw that train of thought out of his head because if there was one thing he wanted to be, it was a man of his word. He committed to the date and that was final. He would just have to make time to hang out with his dad another night.

"Hey dad." Adam greeted him as he walked to the couch. From years of misuse, their beige couch had stains traveling up and down the couch while also having a few springs loose in the seats. Omar had already taken the best seat so it was hard for Adam to decide if he actually wanted to sit down or not.

Omar looked at him startled, not expecting to see anyone else in the house. "Hi. How are you?"

"I'm good." Adam said as he finally just sat down on the seat next to his father. "And you?"

"Good." Was Omar's short reply as he re-focused his eyes back on the T.V. and ate some more popcorn.

_Crap, I lost his attention._ Adam thought. _Guess I'll have to be blunt to get it back._

"I need the car." Adam blurted out.

Omar stopped chewing. "Why?"

_Shit._ Adam had hoped that he would just accept that.

"Ihaveadate." Adam rushed out.

That's when Omar's attention completely left the T.V. and he turned around to face Adam. "What did you say?"

Omar looked like he was sure that he had dirt in his ears when Adam said that he needed the car to go on a date. Not to mention it was already hard to say it once, but now he was being asked to say it again. Needless to say, this was not going the way Adam hoped it would.

_Crap, crap, crap._

Cursing his luck, he spat it out for the second time, "I said that I have a date and I need the car."

His dad was quiet for a few minutes, apparently stunned. When he finally responded he asked, "You know that Audra would want me to say no, right?"

Adam_ really_ didn't like the way this conversation was going.

"I know, sir." Adam said, taking a more formal approach.

Shaking his head, Omar showed that he saw through the act. "Don't even try it, Adam. I will let you go, but on one condition."

Adam sat further up and nodded to show he was listening.

"I want you to be on your best behavior tomorrow. This party means a lot to Audra and she would be devastated if you acted out. Deal?"

Adam grinned at the condition, since that's how he would have acted anyway. He stuck out his hand eagerly saying, "Deal!"

Omar stood up and walked over to the counter where the keys were. He gingerly handed them to Adam.

That's when Adam checked the time and nearly had a heart attack. If he was going to be on time, he had to leave now.

"Thanks!" Adam yelled behind him, rushing out.

Omar let out a small laugh and simply stated, "Be careful."

As he hurried to the car, Adam couldn't stop himself from fist pumping.

_**~~The Journey~~The Journey~~**_

Drumming on the steering wheel, Adam sang along with the song.

"The whole damn world is just as obsessed with who's the best dressed and who's having - shit!"

Adam cursed under his breath as he did a U-turn after missing Bianca's apartment for the second time.

He was starting to think his subconscious was actively trying to make him late and therefore without a date this evening.

First he chose the lane with the most traffic and now he got distracted by a song on fucking Pandora after making his second trip on his date's street.

Still cursing, Adam eyed the houses determinedly with the motive to not make another mistake.

When he came across Bianca's apartment again he wasted no time and quickly turned into a guest parking space, ignoring the multiple honks that came from the car behind him. He took a deep breath before he turned off the engine and carefully undid his seatbelt.

Getting out of the car slowly, he fixed his hair and made sure he looked presentable before walking up to the door of the apartment.

_Knock, knock_.

When someone came to answer the door after he knocked, Adam was surprised it wasn't Bianca. Instead a woman who looked like an older, washed out version of her stood before him.

_Must be a relative_, he thought.

He stood in silence as the woman peered up at him, not speaking a word. She had a sunken in face framed with dark grey curls, and despite how she looked presently Adam knew that she had once been a knock out. Her dark eyes however commanded the most attention, since they had a slight glazed look to them. A chill went through Adam when their eyes connected but no words were exchanged.

When he couldn't take it anymore he cleared his throat and said, "Uh, my name is Adam. I'm supposed to be picking up Bianca. Is she here?"

Honestly, he wouldn't have been surprised if Bianca either forgot their plans or intentionally ditched him for a night at a club.

"She's in her room." The haggard looking woman finally said, still staring at him and blocking the doorway. Adam started to wish Bianca _had_ ditched.

"May I come in?" He asked, trying hard to maintain his air of politeness as his annoyance threatened to take over.

The woman nodded, opening the door slightly wider. Adam mentally rolled his eyes but squeezed in without any comments.

The inside of the apartment looked very odd. Some parts were very neat and seemingly all in place, while the rest of the space was completely disorganized with items scattered around everywhere.

"Nice place." Adam complimented with a forced smile. She shrugged then went to the end of the hall.

"Bee!" The woman yelled. "Hurry up! Your date's here!" Adam flinched at the unexpected loudness but otherwise showed no outward signs of being uncomfortable.

Internally, he was wondering how the women deduced that it was a date. He hadn't **said** anything about it being a date. If anything, he made it sound like it was just two friends hanging out.

Maybe it was the way he was dressed, he considered.

He doubted that Bianca would've said anything. She had even bluntly told him it wasn't a serious date, only a favor. His musings were interrupted by the woman tapping her foot.

When he looked at her he was surprised to see a rather lucid expression on her face, which was very different from the half-gone look she had sported only minutes ago.

"Bee's been through a lot of bad things." She started. "You better treat her right, young man."

Shocked, he didn't do anything at first. When the words finally registered in his brain, he nodded slowly. He didn't know the bad things she was referring to, but he would heed her warning.

That's when Bianca came down the hall.

By all means she was wearing very casual attire, but with the way they fit and the startling confidence that always seemed to surround her, tonight she was stunning.

"Wow. Y-you look great." Adam complimented with a slight stutter. The situation had finally hit him. He was taking her out on a date. A date! In any other universe this just wouldn't happen.

That's when he straightened up. Instead of turning him into a sloppy mess, this realization made him appreciate the moment even more and try to keep it as nice as he could.

She looked him over with a small smile. "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself."

Then the woman cleared her throat and Bianca's head snapped toward her direction. Apparently the look Bianca saw made her uneasy, as she started walking quickly to the door.

"Bye auntie!" _So that's who she is_, Adam thought.

Since he was trying to be the perfect gentleman, he said goodbye to the aunt as well. "Have a good evening."

Her reply was something he never thought he would ever hear someone say.  
"No funny business! The universe is watching you!"

When the door closed, he laughed nervously. Bianca didn't even blink.

"Don't worry about her. A lot's going on."

Adam just nodded and Bianca followed him to where he parked.

When they got to the car, Adam opened the door for her. As she got in, he wondered what she meant by "a lot's going on". When he started to get lost in his thoughts he left it alone and closed the door after seeing Bianca was ready to go. Quickly, he walked over to his side and buckled himself in.

"Do you want to listen to anything in particular?" He asked as he started the engine and pulled the car out.

"Whatever's in your CD player." She stated, pointing to the light sign that showed something was in there.

Adam didn't remember what was last played because he usually listened to Pandora in the car, but he ultimately decided it was harmless and reached over to press play.

He was relaxed during the first few notes of the song but then he visibly paled when he heard a cough that wasn't on any of his bought albums.

"Uh, let's listen to something else." Adam muttered as he fumbled around.

Bianca grabbed his hand though to stop him. "No, I like it. Are you the one singing?"

He thought about lying for a second but one look at her made him realize she would see right through his bullshit. "Unfortunately."

He turned his head for a second to try to gauge her reaction. That's when deep brown eyes locked with his clear blue ones and threatened to capture him whole.

"It's good." She whispered. "You're good."

Adam just shook his head. "It's just a cover of 1979. It's actually a bit of an injustice to the Smashing Pumpkins."

He really thought that too. His voice was too high, the flow wasn't half as good, and his fidgety guitar playing was enough to make anyone swear off music indefinitely.

He didn't want to be a Debby Downer though so he quickly changed topics.

"We're going to be meeting Cam and his date at the front of the restaurant. Is that okay?" Adam asked, paying strict attention to the road.

Bianca seemed to catch on to what he was doing and went along with it. "Yeah, that's fine. I've been there once, and it was really nice."

Adam let out a small sigh of relief. He didn't know what he would have done if she hadn't liked it. "Oh, really? That's pretty cool. What was the occasion?"

Bianca laughed. "It was initially a birthday dinner. My friend saw on FaceRange that his cousin was celebrating and so he invited a few mutual friends, including me, and a few more family members. He had it all planned very nicely, but it ended up being a disaster."

Adam looked at her, his curiosity peaked. "How come?"

The air around them gained levity and from that moment on it was no longer as uncomfortable as it had been. Bianca told him about how the birthday celebration was actually very late, and it was actually supposed to be the cousin's wedding anniversary but everyone forgot.

They were both laughing so hard it was difficult to see straight.

"I wouldn't trust social media websites either after that!" Adam laughed out, mentally picturing the havoc the situation caused.

Bianca laughed again too. "He should've remembered though." She pointed out.

"Very true." Adam agreed, still smiling. That was when they pulled into the restaurant.

Bianca was just about to get out when Adam told her to hold on. She looked at him curiously but waited.

Adam scratched the back of his head. "If you don't like the dinner, we can go to a movie after. Obviously my treat."

Her brown eyes furrowed together, making a small line on her forehead. "Why?"

"Because I want you to enjoy tonight." Adam said simply.

His response was apparently something she liked as she smiled brightly and then got out of the car. Adam followed her lead and soon they were at the front of the restaurant.

"Do you see him?" Bianca asked when Adam suddenly stopped.

"Uh, yeah. Let's go over." Adam said, shaking his head as if it to clear out.

Cam was indeed where Adam had looked towards which was near a flower plant and to the side of the front door.

At first, Adam went on auto-pilot and didn't say a word. Instead he looked at his friend in wonder, not realizing until now how well he could clean up.

At the moment his hair was partially spiked up and he wore a purple shirt under a leather jacket, with fitted jeans. Just like Bianca, he wore very casual attire but it just looked absolutely terrific and handsome.

Adam admiration started to turn into feeling underdressed and more than a bit self-conscious.

Cam's greeting finally got him out of the trance he was in. That's when he also noticed Cam's date wasn't beside him.

"Hey, man." Adam greeted him back. "Is your date inside?"

Cam's head hung down at that question, but he quickly brought it back up. "She's running a bit late. Sorry."

_Damn._ Adam thought. _That sucks._

Cam's first date was already going pretty shitty, and Adam didn't know how to fix it. The first thing he could do though was change the topic, which he was about to do.

"She'll be here soon, Cam." Adam re-assured him. "In the meantime meet Bianca, my date."

Cam looked next to him where Bianca was, almost like he didn't notice her until Adam pointed her out. "Hey there."

Bianca looked unsure how to respond to him, but ultimately chose the semi-nice route. "Hi. Nice to meet you."

Both of them were giving the other a strange look. It was easy to tell that Bianca's originated from usually treating people like dirt and not knowing how to act around him, whereas Adam had no clue where Cam's look was coming from. In all honesty, it made Adam a bit queasy.

_Well, this is awkward_. Adam thought.

Speeding things along, he interjected. "Yeah. She was one of the people I tutored for Chemistry. Have you taken it yet?"

Cam nodded his head, surprising both Adam and Bianca. "During my time in middle school, I was in more advanced classes so I took Biology my last year. When I went into high-school that meant instead of taking that, I took Chemistry."

"That's cool." Adam nodded appreciatively. When Bianca didn't respond, he tried to covering it up by asking, "How about we go inside and get a table?"

Cam looked unsure, but Bianca was all for it. "Yeah, let's go."

Adam didn't want Cam to still be out here either though. "It's getting chilly out here, man. We can tell one of the hosts that if a girl comes in looking for our group to show her where we are. Come on."

After a second Cam nodded and followed them inside. When he saw one of the hosts, he immediately told them exactly what Adam had said to.

While Cam was talking to them, Adam looked at the inside of the place. It was actually very nice.

Around the room were abstract paintings with small lights that were dimmed for dinner. All the tables were wood and the entire restaurant gave off a warm and homey yet fancy aura.

After that, they were directed to a booth in corner of the restaurant.

"Do any of you know what you would like to drink?" Their red-headed waitress asked.

Adam was the first one to respond. "I would, thanks. I'll have a Coke."

The waitress nodded and wrote his drink down before turning to Bianca. "And for you ma'am?"

She gave one more quick glance to the drink section of their menu before saying, "A raspberry lemonade."

"Good choice." The waitress commented as she wrote it down.

Before she asked what he wanted Cam said, "I'll just have a Sprite."

"Awesome!" The waitress said. "I'll get those over to you guys in a flash."

It was quiet when she left so Adam broke the silence again. "She seems nice."

"A little too nice." Bianca muttered under her breath. "I'll be right back."

Adam nodded and watched as she left the table to go to the ladies' room. When she went in, Adam turned to Cam.

"So what's going on? Are you okay?" Adam asked, concern obvious in his voice.

Cam sighed. "It doesn't look my date's going to show up. I might as well get out of your hair and let you and your date be alone."

As he made a move to stand up, Adam tripped him.

When Cam sent him an incredulous look, Adam just shrugged. "You're not going anywhere. I'm sure she'll be here soon."

Just as he said that a blonde girl hurried over, along with an older girl right behind her.

Both of Cam's eyebrows went up as the girl rushed out, "I'm so sorry. My sister offered to give me a ride and it was fine until we came to main street, which we found ourselves in so much traffic that I - "

"It's okay." Cam cut her off. "Really, it's fine."

The girl instantly looked relieved until the older girl let out a cough behind her.

"Oh, and this is my sister Katie. She was just leaving." Blondie said, giving her sister a pointed look.

Katie apparently didn't care and went into Cam's face. "I know you're just like the rest of your team, but if you hurt my sister there will be hell to pay."

Cam turned extremely pale and gulped, barely getting out a nod. Only when he acknowledged what she said did the girl leave.

"Jesus. I'm sorry for her and for being late. I've been a sucky date." Maya muttered under her breath, though Adam and Cam could still hear her.

"Nah, the date hasn't even begun." Cam half smiled. "Sit down."

That's when Adam spoke up. "I hope you don't mind, but we ordered our drinks already."

The blonde girl ran a hand through her hand. "That's fine. Who are you, by the way?"

Adam gave her a charming grin. "I'm Adam. I would have greeted you before but I didn't want your sister to have anything to track me by."

That got a laugh from both Cam and the girl.

"I totally understand. My name's Maya." The blonde girl said, sticking her hand out.

Adam kissed her knuckles and with a silly face said, "Pleasure."

That drew another laugh from her, which relieved some of the tension**.**

B**y **that time though, Bianca was on her way back and knew exactly how to deal with Maya.

"So the princess finally came." Bianca sneered. "Did your carriage get lost?"

Maya immediately blushed and ducked her head, whereas Adam gave Bianca a short glare. Cam looked like he didn't know what to say to that, making Adam have to take over and do damage control.

"She's kidding." Adam said quickly. "Maya, this is my date Bianca and Bianca this is Maya, Cam's date."

Thankfully, that's when the drinks came and they ordered their entrees, along with a drink for Maya.

It went silent for a minute before Adam jumped up. Everyone looked at him funny, but he paid them no mind.

"Excuse me?" He called out to a passing waiter. "Can you bring some paper for me and my friends?"

The waiter gave him a quizzical look but said, "Sure. One moment."

When he came back, he gave Adam one of the children menus and crayons and Adam thanked him.

"I know this might seem weird," Adam started, "But let's play tic-tac-toe."

Sure enough, all of them gave him a funny look so he continued.

"Is it fun?" Cam asked his friend, not liking how both of the girls rolled their eyes at them.

"Easily. We just make it interesting." He simply said, passing out the crayons.

When he looked up, he saw three pairs of eyes staring at him. He sighed but continued, "First, you and Maya will play each-other and I'll play Bianca. During those games, the winner will ask a question and the loser will have to truthfully answer it. Whoever wins the most out of three games, plays the person who won on the other side. The winner of the final game will choose a dare that the rest of us have to do. Deal?"

Cam, Maya, and Bianca all hesitantly nodded and picked up their crayons.

Soon all apprehensions were lost though, and they were having a good time. All too soon their entrees came and they had to put it away.

"That was actually fun." Maya said to Adam.

"I'm glad." Adam said back with a smile before digging into his medium well burger.

After a few bites, Cam looked back at his friend. "Is it true that you can play the guitar _and_ drums?"

Adam laughed, knowing it was going to be brought up at some point. "Yeah, although my brother plays the drums better than I can."

"You have a brother?" Bianca asked, looking across the table to Adam. She was obviously not expecting that.

Adam swallowed his food before answering curtly, "Yeah."

They didn't stay on that subject long though because Maya interjected. "Wait, you play guitar?"

Adam was starting to get uncomfortable with all the questions, but dealt with it. "More bass than anything. Do you play any instruments?"

Maya lit up. "Mostly cello, but I'm good at most string instruments. Have you considered playing in a band?"

"I thought about it once or twice. Why?" Adam asked, giving her a questioning look.

Maya straightened up like she was about to make a business proposal. "Well, I'm in a band called WhisperHug and we really need a bass player. Maybe you could give it a shot?"

Adam nodded his head and said, "I'll think about it."

The rest of the date was spent talking about recent events and a few random topics when the conversation trailed off.

Finally, when they were done eating Adam and Cam split the bill and stood up.

"It was nice meeting you." Adam told Maya on the way out. "I'll let you know about auditioning."

Maya gave him a small smile in return. "Thanks. Bye!"

Adam then turned to Cam and gave him a small hug. "See you later man."

Cam smiled and said, "Night."

When he was done saying goodbye, Adam walked Bianca over to the car door and opened it for her.

As he got into his the driver's seat Adam asked, "Still want to go to the movies?"

Bianca just looked at her nails and said, "A rain check is preferable."

Adam reversed out of their parking seat while responding, "Okie dokie."

The drive back to her place was quiet, with no music playing. When they reached her place, Adam walked up to her front door with her.

Looking into her eyes Adam asked, "Did you have a good time?"

"I did." She whispered. She then gave him a peck on the cheek and ran into her house, leaving Adam there stunned.

Once he got back to the car, he turned on the radio and sung along. Everything went well tonight, and he was in a great mood.

"So I heard you were on a date." Drew said from the steps as soon as Adam set foot in the door.

Adam stopped before taking off his shoes and saying, "Yuh-huh."

"Who were you with?" Drew asked, following behind Adam.

Adam scoffed at Drew's attempt to get more information. "No one you know."

"How was it?" Drew continued to press, taking his hands out of his jeans.

As he put the keys back on the counter, Adam decided to throw him a bone. "It was good, but a little awkward."

Before he could say anymore, Adam rushed up to his room. He silently got ready for bed, going through his usual preparations like brushing his teeth and washing his face.

As he jumped into bed, images of the date flashed continuously in his head until he fell asleep.

_**~~The Journey~~The Journey~~**_

The next day he woke up bright and early, with an insane urge to pee.

Once he went to the bathroom, he came back to his room and turned his computer on.

He opened his eyes a little wider when saw he had a message from Cam.

**Lostandfound101: Thanks for doing the double date with me.**

It was sometime from last night, but Adam still responded.

**Musicquest32: No problem. What do you think about things between you and Maya?**

The reply was fast, and Adam had to refresh their conversation just to read it.

**Lostandfound101: It was fun but maybe it's better if we were just friends. What about you and Bianca?**

Adam had to think about that. He thought Bianca was funny, not mention incredibly hot. Everyone had their downfalls, and he really didn't know Bianca well enough yet to see if they could have a relationship. Still, the thought of one made him unnerved and very unsure. Finally he knew what to say.

**Musicquest32: It might be the same with Bianca but I don't know for sure. Everything in time, I guess.**

It took a while longer for Cam to respond but when he did, Adam laughed.

**Lostandfound101: Want to come around and play games?**

Quickly he tapped out a response and rushed to get ready.

**Musicquest32: Absolutely.**

* * *

_**Thanks for reading! Leave a review telling me what you thought. See you soon.**_

_**~ S.**_


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